Dame Helen Mirren has a major reason to celebrate. On February 27, she was presented the coveted 2022 SAG Life Achievement Award by Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett.
The SAG award ceremony took place at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Winslet, who was unable to attend n person, filmed a video segment in honor of Dame Helen, while Cate Blanchett was there at the venue to celebrate the accomplishments of the iconic British actress.
In her eloquent acceptance speech, Dame Helen remarked, “Lifetime achievement, sounds so grand, I suppose I’m still alive so by that measure, I’m eligible.”
She shared that her mantra” is to “be on time and don’t be an ass.”
“Thank you S-A-G so much for this, I hate to say SAG at my age, it’s always S-A-G for me,” she said.
“I am simultaneously enormously proud and yet with the understanding that I do not deserve this and there is the conflict I believe you all understand: insecurity versus ego. That cocktail I believe most actors sip in the evening as they contemplate on the gift they received the moment they decided to become an actor,” she elaborated in her speech.
“I have been angsting about what to say tonight and then it came to me: to all those people with whom I have shared my professional life, the actors,” she exclaimed.
Several years ago, Dame Helen recalled performing “Phedre” and standing in that 2,000-year-old space in Greece. “I felt the ghosts of all those ancient Greeks and vagabonds. I felt their fear, I felt their elation and I felt at one with them. Actors, you are a magnificent tribe. This is for the actors, thank you,” she said, effusively.
Her entire speech may be seen below.
Throughout her distinguished career in film, Dame Helen has earned international acclaim for her appearance in over 70 movies.
In 2006, she won an Oscar, a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, and a BAFTA Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen.” She has also received Oscar nominations for her performances in “The Madness of King George,” “Gosford Park,” and most recently earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in “The Last Station.”
Dame Helen will next be seen in Sony Pictures Classics’ “The Duke” with Jim Broadbent, which is due for release in the spring of 2022, and Lionsgate’s “White Bird: A Wonder Story,” which will be released later in 2022.
