Helen Mirren has publicly addressed being verbally attacked on a London street, where she was called an "evil Zionist bitch" by an unidentified man. The incident, which took place at the end of last year, was captured on video that circulated online last month. Mirren was walking with her husband, filmmaker Taylor Hackford, when they were approached and filmed by the man, who then launched into abusive language.
Speaking at the Taormina film festival, Mirren described the confrontation as a case of mistaken identity. She characterized her attacker as "a man who was maybe a little over passionate or maybe mentally not quite stable." The Metropolitan Police acknowledged the incident but took no further action after discussing it with both Mirren and Hackford.
Despite the harassment, Mirren reiterated her support for Israel's existence while expressing serious concerns about the country's current actions. She stated that "evil forces are rising everywhere, even in a country like Israel." Regarding Israel's military operations in Gaza, she said: "How could you possibly repeat the actions of what was done to you as people to other people? Crimes against humanity, it's called."
Mirren provided historical context for her views on Israel, explaining that she grew up in post-World War II Europe when awareness of the Holocaust was profound among her parents' generation. She acknowledged that while the creation of Israel was important following the Holocaust, it may have been "done in completely the wrong way, in the wrong place." She also mentioned witnessing things that disturbed her during a visit to Israel six months after the Six-Day War.
The 78-year-old actress, who is not Jewish, recently played Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in a 2023 biopic. She has previously expressed her belief in Israel's right to exist, including co-signing a letter with Gene Simmons and Boy George supporting Israel's Eurovision participation. However, she has also stated she would have joined protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying "My people are the people who are out demonstrating."
At the same festival appearance, Mirren also spoke about her MobLand co-star Tom Hardy, who has reportedly left the streaming series following friction with producers. Mirren posted a photo of Hardy on social media with the caption "love you now and always" and expressed strong support for him. She said she would "absolutely" work with Hardy again "in a fucking heartbeat," praising him as "a very special person" and "absolutely remarkable." She emphasized that her support is "genuine and heartfelt," adding that she is "totally chilled" with however people achieve results "as long as what's on the screen is fantastic."