A Minute with Mirren
In October I was granted the honour of interviewing Dame Helen Mirren on the red carpet at the European premiere of TRUMBO, directed by Jay Roach. Bryan Cranston gave a cracking performance as Dalton Trumbo, the Hollywood screenwriter who was blacklisted after refusing to testify in the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947. Mirren is great in the role of Hedda Hopper, the infamous and nasty gossip columnist.
Being one of the reporters on the carpet is sort of mad; desperately trying to get the movie stars to notice you and answer your questions. More than half of these reporters go home empty handed. Before I knew it, I was telling Helen Mirren that it was the first time Icelandic TV had a reporter on the red carpet for a film event of that scale. Her attention was caught, and I asked her whether she thinks films can influence people and send dangerous messages.
Now I get it!!! The reason for the strange look I get from Brits when saying something like; ‘Nah… the weather is not that bad. You should try living in Iceland for a while.’ When I watched that brilliant video, featuring one of my favourite people in the world, it opened my eyes to many things. I’ve f.ex. always wondered why on earth pub goers cheer when someone drops glassware on the floor.