Dame Helen Mirren, 81, has revealed that she used cocaine recreationally in small amounts at parties until the early 1980s. The actress, known for her role in "MobLand," stated she would "not touch that drug ever again."
Mirren told GQ magazine that while she enjoyed cocaine in the past, her perspective shifted after learning that Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie used drug trafficking to fund his life in South America. "When you're doing a drug, you're at a party... you just don't think where that's come from," she explained. "I would not touch that drug ever again. You have to be conscious of the journey it's taken to get to you."
Beyond cocaine, Mirren also shared her experience with LSD in her 20s, which she described as a powerful, one-time event. "It was the one and only time I took acid," she said, recalling the experience fondly but firmly deciding against repeating it. "I had the most fabulous, magical time and came out of it thinking, 'I'm never going to do that again.' It was very powerful and I knew immediately that you do not mess with this. It was too much."
She acknowledged that, like many of her generation, she also experimented with marijuana and other substances. However, Mirren stated that her commitment to her profession was always her primary focus, describing it as her "ultimate drug."
Now 81, Mirren is known for her emphasis on healthy habits and embracing aging. She told Woman & Home that aging is something to be embraced rather than feared, acknowledging that it can come with complications such as aches and pains. In an interview with Allure, she expressed that she finds "everything" about being 80 fabulous, emphasizing her zest for life.
In other anecdotes, Mirren recalled a humorous encounter with the late Queen Elizabeth II. At a tea gathering attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen introduced Mirren to a sheikh by saying, "this is Dame Helen Mirren, she played me you know, in the film." The sheikh, however, appeared to have no prior knowledge of the film or Mirren, looking visibly confused.
Mirren also recounted a moment of social awkwardness during the same tea with the Queen, where she struggled to recall how to address Prince Philip when requesting the milk jug. "I just could not remember how to - address Prince Philip? Do I call him sir, is it your majesty, your royal highness?" she said. Ultimately, she decided against asking for the milk to avoid the situation.
Following the Queen's death in 2022, Mirren paid tribute to her at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards, remembering her as the nation's "leading star" and highlighting BAFTA's longstanding relationship with the monarch.