by Dame Helen Mirren is no stranger to the kinds of events that call for glamorous hotel rooms, intricate couture dresses and a bevy of talented hair stylists and make-up artists. I am speaking to the 78-year-old actress the morning after the night before: that is, the red carpet she wore at the Cannes Film Festival, which she has been attending for over ten years. We’re speaking over Zoom: I’m in London and Mirren is in the L’Oréal Paris room at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes (the brand is the official make-up sponsor of the festival this year). Dressed in a silk polka dot blouse, her bright white hair pulled back from her face in a chic style and a vibrant pink blush on her cheeks, Mirren certainly does no looks like she had a late night.
Then, again, I get the distinct impression that the actress has a well-planned agenda as she prepares for an event or a big event. And rather than simply getting dressed and made up and sent packing down towards the flashing cameras, Mirren is involved every step of the way. In fact, she has a braver and bolder approach to dressing than most. Case in point: Mirren dyed her hair pink for Cannes in 2019 and applied thick cat-eye eyeliner in 2022, a look that wouldn’t look out of place on a fashion runway. (She previously told me that this look elicited a response that was “wonderful with a tinge of horror.” She enjoyed this.) Last year at Cannes, and the most shocking of all while, she dyed her blonde hair and attention-grabbing electric blue to match her 18th-century Del Core dress.
For the latest Cannes appearance on Friday night, for its premiere La Plus Precieuse des Marchandises (Most Precious Cargo), Mirren wore a sweeping floor-length purple gown by one of her favorite designers, Elie Saab. Her hair and make-up were quite laid back: a sleek bob tucked-under with a flattering pop of rose lipstick. Understated perhaps, but in no simple way. Mirren tells me how she gets ready for a big event, and how she unwinds afterwards too.
Picking the dress
Mirren is passionate about picking a dress that speaks to her – whether that’s through her relationship with the designer or her respect for the work they’ve done. “It’s an honor to wear these dresses, the artwork that goes into them is amazing. To wear one of those dresses, even once in a lifetime, is an incredible experience,” she says. “But it doesn’t have to be comfortable!”
Before hair and make up
Mirren always makes sure she’s slept well the night before. On the day, “I definitely don’t eat,” she says, “and I definitely don’t drink if I’m wearing a very tight dress. It’s the classic stuff.” Before settling down in the make-up artist’s chair, she will attend to her nails. “I put the old broom out to make sure everything is clean, because you want to give these people a clean slate to work their magic on.”
The team
The preparation for Mirren’s red carpet appearance takes at least a few hours. “I have a really glam team here in Cannes and, yes, the preparation is quite extensive, but it’s like poetry in motion watching them all work,” she explains. Mirren has six hairdressers working on her at the same time, and a squad of famous make-up artists. “If you don’t look good on that end, shame on you,” she laughs.
In the chair
I think I already know the answer to this one, but any snacks? “No, no snacks allowed,” she says firmly. How about any music, or a playlist in the background? “I’m a very musical person, I never have music in the background. Although the hair team had a great thing going on yesterday – very beautiful and interesting music being played,” she tells me. Mirren preps and moisturises her skin using the Hyaluronic Acid Filler Serum, £16, by L’Oreal Paris. “I don’t have any rituals myself, because I trust the team to make sure I look and feel good in front of the carpet.”
The big reveal
In anticipation, Mirren loves to make a statement. “For me, the red carpet is a brief moment of theater and I like to do that. I’ve done a lot of theater and the red carpet is really theatre,” she tells me. “I love dressing up and I love costumes, that’s partly why I’m an actor.” Would she ever be tempted to dye her hair bright again? “I’m sure he will,” she says. “The great thing is you can be my color at six o’clock, bright pink or bright blue at eight o’clock and then my color again at 11 o’clock the same night. The stuff is great, especially when you have gray hair like mine.”
On beauty
“I’ve always been a bit against beauty as a generic term,” she tells me. “I love looking at beautiful people, it’s just a pleasure to see a beautiful man or a beautiful woman, but it’s not all of us. A small part of us is beautiful. The rest of us look great.” She pauses. “I’m fine, but you’re no Naomi Campbell and I’m no David Beckham,” she added, “if we’re talking about true beauty.” For Mirren, the term beautiful is something that is “out of reach”. Instead of beauty, Mirren prefers the term “swagger”. “We can all have swagger, we can all put on an outfit or make-up that makes you feel ‘oh f— it, I’m going out there, I’m going to have a good time’.”
Confidence from making up
Whether she’s working on a movie set, walking a red carpet or at home with her husband (director Taylor Hackford), Mirren loves the effect of wearing make-up. She tells me that she was “at home with my husband for the first time in our whole relationship during the Covid lockdown, the first time we got to be in the house together for a long period of time and it was amazing. “. She wore make-up every day. “He didn’t care, he didn’t notice, he doesn’t see those things – but I see it. So when I walked past a mirror and saw myself, I saw someone who was ready for the world, and it made me feel alive and present,” she says. “I don’t know why, but it is.”
Released after departure
After hitting the red carpet, Mirren looks forward to the moment she can step out of her dress, unpin her hair and take off her make-up. “I make sure I remove my make-up thoroughly, re-feel my face and nourish and moisturise my skin.” Age Perfect Golden Age Cooling Night Cream, £20 by L’Oreal Paris, makes her skin feel “unbelievable” after a long day in make-up. Then she’ll bathe in Epsom salts (try Epsom Bath Salts, £3, by Westlab).
“I love a good bath, an old school one with a candle. I love that feeling of cleanliness and then putting on a beautiful body cream afterwards.” Mirren is not into beauty tools or gadgets. “I’m really into these rollers and red light masks but I do it for two days and then forget about it. I lose interest after the first two or three events,” she tells me. “Life is too short, after all,” she says.
