An infamous 1975 interview between Helen Mirren and journalist Michael Parkinson is once more making waves online, with viewers shocked at the iconic chat show host’s sexist line of questioning.
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Here are her cool-as-a-cucumber answers to the most awkward questions from the interview.
I This after he introduced Mirren – now an Academy Award-winner – as the “sex queen” of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
“You are in quotes a “serious actress”, he says.
“What do you mean, “in quotes”?”
It didn’t end there, however. At the time, Mirren was a rising star in the stage world, and Parkinson asked about the men in that realm who interested her (which apparently meant men wearing leather jackets).
It takes him almost a minute to ask the question, “Do you find in fact that this what could be best described as your equipment in fact hinders you perhaps in that pursuit?”
“Well, your physical attributes”, mumbles Parkinson.
“That was sluttishly erotic for you”, she quips as she takes her seat.
PARKINSON: “No, I meant your…” He meant her “figure”, he explains, looking at her breasts for emphasis.
Parkinson unfortunately didn’t stop there, asking Mirren if she thought her “equipment” ― i.e. her body and breasts ― hinder her from becoming a successful and serious actress. When asked to clarify what he means by “equipment”, he responds, “your physical attributes”.
“Well, I think that they might sort of detract from a performance if you know what I mean”, was Parkinson’s fumbled response. Mirren fired back. “What a crummy performance if people are obsessed with the size of your bosom or anything else”. I would hope that the performance and the play and the living relationship between all the people on the stage and all the people in the audience overcome such boring questions.
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In 2011, Mirren addressed the infamous clip in an interview with The Telegraph and admitted she was “terrified” while standing up to Parkinson becaus it was her first talk show appearance.
