Helen Mirren has never been one to sugarcoat her feelings, and now the 80-year-old actress is calling out a label for older women that she finds downright insulting. With her trademark wit, she says sheâs done being described with condescending words that donât reflect the reality of who she is today.
Mirren Calls Out Patronizing Labels About Aging
âOne thing that I find galling as I get older is the sort of patronizing condescension: âOh, thatâs so sweet,ââ Mirren told People in an interview published August 20. âI hate the word feisty. Iâm alive. Donât give me those sort of awful labels.â
The “Thursday Murder Club” actress added that she also dislikes being called a âyoung spirit.â Recalling one interview where someone used the phrase, Mirren admitted, âWhat did I say? Fâk off? My spirit is the age that I am.â
Why She No Longer Celebrates Birthdays
While Mirren has embraced the process of growing older, she admitted she no longer marks her birthdays with traditional celebrations. âHonestly, I donât celebrate birthdays. I donât recognize them because life just rolls on,â she explained. âI expect to be very, very nicely treated on my birthday. Thatâs all I want. Cup of tea in bed in the morning.â
The actress said her outlook on aging has always been rooted in acceptance.
Wisdom Learned From Her Mother
Mirren credits her mother for shaping her approach to aging with one simple piece of advice: never fear it.
âMy mother said the greatest thing to me: âNever be afraid of getting older,ââ she shared. âOf course, when youâre 18, middle age is like a foreign country. Itâs so far away from you. But, you know, when you arrive in that country, you realize that country has great things. Maybe you like that country better than the country you left behind.â
In a past interview with E! News, she echoed that sentiment. âItâs nature, itâs what happens. And, as they say, along with getting older comes a certain kind of wisdom, a certain kind of understanding of that fact.â
Redefining Life Beyond Retirement
For Mirren, aging does not mean stepping back from life. She believes retirement should never be equated with irrelevance.
âPeople who are retired have had extraordinary, productive, challenging, difficult, professional lives, and theyâre not finished. It doesnât suddenly screech to a halt,â she said.
She also pointed out how younger generations often misunderstand the lives of older people. âYounger people cannot comprehend the fact that the older generation had sex, had fun, danced, were obsessed with their hair and their weight. And of course, the older people are looking at them and going, âYou know what? Weâve done that. Weâve been there,ââ Mirren said.
The post Helen Mirren Gets Refreshingly Honest About Life at 80 & Aging With Grace appeared first on EntertainmentNow.