Helen Mirren Explains Her Pull Toward Dark Roles Like Highsmith
The actress reflects on a recent run of morally complicated roles she says gives her room to work.
Helen Mirren appeared on TODAY to discuss her latest role as Patricia Highsmith, the real-life author who created the character of Tom Ripley in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Mirren used the appearance to explain why she has recently been drawn to playing dark, morally complex characters, telling TODAY, "I'm very grateful for this chapter in my career, I have to say, because these characters are so full vim and vigor, so full of piss and vinegar...they're not nimby pimby and so it's a great gift for an actor."
Mirren's comments frame the Highsmith role as part of a broader pattern in her recent work. She has also been promoting the series 'Mobland,' in which she stars as Maeve Harrigan opposite Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy, playing what she has elsewhere described as another difficult character.
The TODAY conversation centers specifically on Highsmith, the author whose novel gave rise to Ripley, with Mirren tying the role into her stated preference for characters with sharper edges rather than softer, more conventional parts.
Mirren has made a run of recent media appearances tied to her current projects, including a stop on THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING Jimmy Fallon where she discussed her Toronto International Film Festival Groundbreaker Award and her MobLand role, alongside separate conversations about her television work and public honors.
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