Dame Helen Mirren has publicly addressed a viral video in which she was subjected to verbal abuse in the street over her previous support for Israel.
The footage, which circulated widely online last month, showed the Oscar-winning actor being called an “an evil Zionist bitch” by an unidentified man. The individual also directed abuse towards her husband, filmmaker Taylor Hackford, saying: “You as well, fuck you and all.”
Speaking at the Taormina Film Festival earlier this week, where she received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Dame Helen reflected on the incident for the first time. She described the confrontation as involving someone who may have been “a little over passionate or maybe mentally not quite stable”.
Helen Mirren Addresses Viral Video Incident At Taormina Film Festival
The Metropolitan Police previously commented on the footage, stating: “We are aware of a video circulating online, showing a man and a woman being subjected to antisemitic verbal abuse in Tower Hill. It is believed that the incident took place at the end of last year.”
During her appearance at the Italian film festival, Dame Helen also expanded on her views regarding Israel.
According to Variety, she said: “Evil forces are rising everywhere, even in a country like Israel. How could you possibly repeat the actions of what was done to you as people to other people?”
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She added: “I was born at the end of the Second World War, I grew up in Europe post Second World War and the realisation in my parents’ generation of what had happened in the Holocaust was so profound, so important.
“Therefore, the creation of Israel was a very important moment, although maybe it was done in completely the wrong way, in the wrong place, I don’t know. But something had to happen after the horror.”
Helen Mirren Reaffirms Longstanding Views On Israel
Dame Helen has previously spoken about her support for Israel’s right to exist.
In 2023, she said: “I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel, and I believe Israel has to go forward into the future, for the rest of eternity. I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.”
She has also publicly backed Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, signing open letters supporting the country’s inclusion amid ongoing debate surrounding the conflict in Gaza.
That same year, the actor portrayed former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the biographical film Golda.
Helen Mirren Reflects On History And Her Experience Playing Golda Meir
At the Taormina Film Festival, Dame Helen spoke about historical figures associated with territorial expansion and conflict.
She said: “When you play Catherine the Great, why was Catherine called the Great? Because she took land. Why was Alexander the Great? Because he took land. He invaded, he killed people, he destroyed cities and he took land. Why is he remembered in history? Because with incredible brutality and unbelievable cruelty, he took land.
“So it devastates me. That’s what I mean. The evil is always lurking, waiting to take over, even in a place like Israel.
“I played Golda Meir and worked in a country that was the idealistic Israel, and I always thought it was a country that would never do wrong, but of course they were doing wrong, even then.”
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