Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie on being 'underestimated' and standing up for themselves

26 August 2025, 20:30

By Alice Dear

British acting legends Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie joined Heart's Pandora to talk about their new film The Thursday Murder Club.

You might remember when Helen Mirren, 80, and Celia Imrie, 73, starred alongside one another in Calendar Girls back in 2003, and now the iconic actresses have been reunited for a new flick based on Richard Osman's best-selling book, The Thursday Murder Club.

Helen and Celia sat down with Heart's Pandora to talk about the new film, where they play retirees attempted to solve a whodunit after years of solving cold cases for fun.

In the film, the pensioners often get underestimated as detectives, but have Helen and Celia found themselves being underestimated as women in Hollywood?

"I think when I was young," Helen said: "I was always underestimated and it's very hard as a young woman to - it's much better now than it was when I was sort of your age. But it's very hard to sort of break through the attitude that you are, you know, nothing but what you look like, basically."

Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie reunite for The Thursday Murder Club! 🔎

The star continued: "You know, it's hard to break through that, for men and women. Yes, I always felt I was being constantly underestimated when I was a young girl, and because of that I probably became a bit of an a******e."

Stepping in to defend her co-star and friend, Celia said: "No, no, you were just standing up for yourself and I understand. It's because you're too beautiful. I'm afraid that's it, and that was what you were judged on, but you're a brilliant actress. It is tricky."

Speaking on how they both still feel young at heart, Celia added: "I suppose the awful truth is that though we both think we're 26, really, don't we? So those things perhaps don't come into it so much now."

• You can watch the full interview on Global Player now.