My success is down to my mantra of don’t be late and don’t be an a**, says Helen Mirren, 76, after Sag Awards success
WITH 13 nominations and five wins in a glittering career, Dame Helen Mirren was the standout star of the 28th SAG Awards.
On Sunday night’s bash, where accolades were handed out by the Screen Actors Guild, she was again honoured — this time with a Lifetime Achievement award.
At the Santa Monica Barker Hangar in California, Helen , 76, dedicated her gong to her peers.
And the star-studded crowd, which included Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett, howled with laughter at Helen’s jokes.
She said: “‘Lifetime achievement’ sounds so grand but I suppose I’m still alive, so by that measure I’m eligible.
“But any achievement I’ve succeeded in is the result of my mantra, ‘Be on time and don’t be an ass’.”
She went on: “I hate to say the word ‘sag’ at my age. It’s always S-A-G for me.”
Helen continued: “I’ve been angsting about what to say tonight. I’ve been waiting for inspiration. Then it came . . . I’ll talk about actors.
“My God, what a brilliant idea! So original. I like to think inside the box. It is you, you actors, I want to thank. For your wit, your humour, all the giggles, all the laughter.
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“I’ve laughed my whole life, honestly. Your perception, your generosity, your intelligence and your incredible energy. And your dedication to our chosen profession.
“Together we laugh, we weep, we worry, we change clothes, we throw up and we suffer diarrhoea.”
After she picked up the gong, celebrating her incredible five decade career, Helen was seen chatting to a string of A-listers including Lady Gaga, Jessica Chastain and Tyler Perry.
Gaga was consoled by Dame Helen after missing out to Jessica for an acting gong and later enjoyed a reunion with Bradley Cooper, her co-star in 2018’s A Star Is Born.
Meanwhile, Dame Helen said she had no intention of slowing down. She is keen to reprise her role as Magdalene Shaw in the Fast & Furious movies and said she loved working on superhero sequel Shazam! Fury Of The Gods.
Speaking about playing villain Hespera, Helen said: “I had such a good time playing a Roman goddess. I love working with those incredible artists of stunts and special effects. It’s great to watch them work. I love to mix it up.
“I love to go from those big-budget, extraordinary technical films to a film that’s much more about relationships and conversations rather than bangs.”
‘Catch fish for hours’
In an interview with Variety, she added: “I think the next hurdle is I would love to play a cowboy!
“Just a cowboy on a horse. I’ve fallen off a horse so many times. I absolutely can’t ride, so that would be a major challenge.”
Fellow Brit Kate Winslet won an Outstanding Performance gong for her role as cop Mare Sheehan in HBO hit Mare Of Easttown. No Time To Die, Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, was recognised for its stunt work.
Aled Jones’ daughter Emilia won for her film CODA, in which she plays Ruby Rossi, the only hearing member of a deaf family.
Emilia and her co-stars won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. And CODA’s Troy Kotsur made history by becoming the first deaf actor to win an individual SAG Award.
Emilia said: “I trained for nine months with American Sign Language. I had singing lessons too. I also had to learn how to fish, so I’d wake up at 3am every morning for two weeks and go out three miles at sea and catch fish for hours and hours.”
Netflix hit Squid Game was a big winner, becoming the first foreign-language telly series to triumph in 28 years of the annual bash.
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There were Drama Series acting wins for its stars Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung plus an ensemble nod for its stunt work.
Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis was named Outstanding Male Actor in a Comedy Series, with Hacks’ Jean Smart the Outstanding Female.
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