At 78, Helen Mirren Is Shattering Norms About ‘Longer Hair After A Certain Age’ With Her Flowing Tresses

Mar 14, 2023 by apost team

Helen Mirren is a world-renowned international A-list actress. But Mirren's rise to fame was not easy; the "The Long Good Friday" actress didn't garner international success until she was 40.

Throughout her decades-long career in film and television, Mirren has received numerous accolades. According to Looper, the award-winning actress's most significant roles include her portrayal of Ayn Rand in "The Passion of Ayn Rand," her role of Queen Charlotte in "The Madness of King George" and Leo's wife Sofya in "The Last Station." Mirren achieved international fame in 2006, portraying Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen."

The renowned actress has earned the Triple Crown of Acting in the United States — an Academy Award, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award. The award-winning actress is also the first person to receive the British Triple Crown of Acting for having won three equivalent honors in the British entertainment industry — a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Award, a BAFTA Television Award and a Laurence Olivier Award.

Mirren won her Oscar and a BAFTA for her performance in "The Queen," an Emmy and BAFTA Television Award for her role as Jane Tennison in "Prime Suspect," and a Tony and Laurence Olivier Award for her role onstage in "The Audience."

In 2013, the actress received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, honoring her lengthy career, but her accolades do not stop there. At 77, Mirren received the Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) for Life Achievement in 2022. 

Along with her widely successful career in film and television, Mirren is using her platform to redefine what it means to be beautiful as a mature woman. 

Mirren graced the cover of People Magazine's April 2022 "Beautiful Issue." During the cover story interview, the Emmy-winning actress shared her thoughts on beauty and age. 

The 78-year-old mentioned that she was "gobstruck" after receiving the honor. The actress also opened up about her viewpoints on beauty and how the beauty industry should be called another name, "swagger." 

"There are incredibly beautiful people in the world, and it's an absolute delight to look at them, male or female. Beautiful people are a wonder to behold," the actress told the outlet. "But most of us are not beautiful. We have other stuff, which is just as powerful as beauty. And I would like to see us celebrate those things … I love the word swagger because I think swagger means I'm confident in myself, I'm presenting myself to the world, I'm enjoying the world around me. I think what is called the beauty industry should be called the swagger industry. We're giving people swagger."

Although the actress is aging gracefully, Mirren admitted to AARP that she once feared aging but now sees the beauty in growing older.

"The best thing about being over 70 is being over 70," Mirren said. "Certainly when I was 45, the idea of being 70 was like 'Arghhh!' but you only have two options in life: Die young or get old. There is nothing else. The idea of dying young when you're 25 is kind of cool — a bit romantic, like James Dean. But then you realize that life is too much fun to do that."

Another way the London native embraces life to its fullest is through her vibrant personal style.

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Mirren's bold and beautiful red carpet style is show-stopping. The award-winning actress turned heads when she attended the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in a sparkly metallic dress and bottom-length platinum blonde extensions. 

Pro hairstylist and Evo's international creative director Tom Smith took to his Instagram to praise Mirren's style. "You won't believe who owns this hair," he said in a video, per Glamour. "Helen Mirren!"

Smith explained how extremely long hair had become a summer trend. He also mentioned how he liked Mirren's spin on the style. 

"I think this might be the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said. "I love challenging age stereotypes and I just think that (Mirren) is so smart and so bold for doing something so current, so out there, and so unexpected."

Smith and Mirren's beauty team went on to match the shade of hair color with her skin and attire. "That extreme length is absolutely a trend this summer," Smith added. "I've been talking a lot about Rapunzel lengths and super-bright platinum. This of course is that white gray, creamy beautiful color. Some of it's her natural color, and yeah, there's a lot of extensions in there, but wow, what a statement. She looks amazing."

Although for this look, the "Eye in the Sky" actress donned platinum hair, her natural grays peeked through, making the look effortless. The actress opened up to Vogue about her decision to go gray, referring to her transition as "easy" due to her natural blond tresses. But despite her seamless transition, she encouraged other women to embrace their grays.

"Going gray is to be encouraged — that's not to say you can't have fun with your hair," she added. "Because it's a very important part of how you feel about yourself. People should do whatever makes them feel comfortable."

On Mar. 6, 2023, Mirren stepped out on the red carpet for the London premiere of her film “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and eschewed her signature bob to allow her natural and long tresses to flow freely. In an ITV interview days later, she explained she had grown out her hair during the pandemic lockdown and hasn’t looked back since.

“You’re not supposed to have longer hair after a certain age,” she lamented to host Lorraine Kelly. “During COVID, I started growing my hair, and I hadn’t actually had long hair since I was actually in my 20s, and it grew and grew and grew, and I couldn’t be bothered to cut it basically.”

It wasn’t long before Mirren grew fond of her new look.

“I thought, you know what, it’s pretty cool. I think I’ll stick with it for a little while, and so, it will come off eventually, but I’m kind of enjoying it. It’s quite radical,” she added.

In the interview, Mirren also touched on how she was making a conscious decision not to allow aging to affect her negatively after Kelly remarked how she is constantly “flying the flag for women that are over 60.” Mirren responded:

“Life doesn’t stop, and creativity doesn’t stop, and passion doesn’t stop, and energy doesn’t stop, unless you decide to stop it. It’s just to be self-motivated, really, and never give up, and find enjoyment, if it’s possible in your life.” 

Mirren added her journey has also allowed her to be more sympathetic.

“As you get older, you understand the struggles that people go through, either physical struggles or financial struggles, and life is tough. Very demanding. Therefore, all the more to maintain your energy as far as you can and maintain your health as far as you can.”

What do you think about Helen Mirren's openness to going gray? What about her decision to grow her hair out? Let us know, and pass this story on to your family, friends or anyone else curious about celebrity beauty trends.