Helen Mirrenis a dame — but she’s also a proud American.
“My husband [Taylor Hackford] is American. My stepchildren are obviously American. My nephew lived in America, worked in America,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “So I had certainly been an American resident for a very long time.”
The actress adds, “When I understood, which I hadn’t quite grasped before, that I could be a British citizen and an American citizen — because I would not like to give up my British citizenship — then I thought, ‘Well, that’s great. That’s the perfect world.’ "
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Helen Mirren.Maarten de Boer/Shutterstock
Mirren says it was “so moving” when she got her American citizenship. “I didn’t realize how profound a feeling it would be,” she recalls. “It brought up feelings of patriotism that I didn’t think I had. I think it was to do with the intrinsic generosity of America.”
The Good Liaractress was living in New York City during theterrorist attacks of 9/11, performing in a play at the time.
“I saw the second tower come down,” she says, looking back. “I had an epiphany. I realized where my allegiance and my heart and my intellect lay in that confrontation between extremism, religiosity — all those things andeverything that America represents.”
“And I thought, ‘I’m an American,’ " Mirren adds. “I got an American flag, and I put it outside my window.”
“It’s a pinnacle,” Mirren tells PEOPLE. “From a pinnacle, you’ve only got two choices and that’s down or up to the clouds. Having said that, it’s a great pinnacle to find yourself standing on.”
To date, Mirren is the most decorated SAG Life Achievement recipient, with a total of 13SAG Awardsnominations and fiveSAG Awardsacting wins.
The 28th annualSAG Awardswill be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
For more on Helen Mirren, pick up this week’s issue ofPEOPLE, on newsstands now.
source: people.com
