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What character does Helen Mirren portray on Netflix's The Thursday Murder Club? Details explored

Picture this: A silver-haired sleuth, sharp as a stiletto, unravelling murders over cups of tea in a sleepy English retirement village
posted by Sinthya Banik
Tuesday 8/12/2025 at 3:19AM EDT
  • Helen Mirren at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)
    Helen Mirren at the 81st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)

    Adapted from Richard Osman's bestselling novel, the film ‘The Thursday Murder Club’, directed by Chris Columbus, features Helen Mirren alongside other accomplished actors like Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. They make a delightful blend of mystery and comedy. But who is the woman behind the lurking Elizabeth, and what new layers does she bring to this role?

    In The Thursday Murder Club, Helen Mirren plays Elizabeth Best, a former MI5 agent, who heads up a foursome of retired folks investigating cold cases happening in their English retirement village. But when someone is murdered in their neighbourhood, it disrupts their lives and props up Elizabeth's wit, cunning, and charm. Mirren, who read Osman’s novel years ago, told PEOPLE,

    “I thought, ‘Oh my God, if they ever make a movie of this, I want to be involved in this—I’d love to play that role.’ I very, very rarely feel that way.” 

     

     Helen Mirren- An enigmatic persona

    Mirren was born on July 26, 1945. After five decades in varying degrees of fame, and having won an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy - a unique award trifecta, Mirren made her mark on the world of the performing arts. She has performed and transformed in every role she has obtained, beginning with her breakout news as a savage Cleopatra, first played in the Royal Shakespeare Company, and ending with her acclaimed television role as Queen Elizabeth II, reprised from her Oscar-winning performance in The Queen (2006). She has played the role of a detective in the Primary Suspect miniseries, while she has also been a ruthless gangster's wife in the Long Good Friday (1980). Mirren can convey power, as well as nuance, perfectly suited to portray Elizabeth, an expert in espionage.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    A post shared by Helen Mirren (@helenmirren)

     

    Mirren has been married to American director Taylor Hackford since 1997.

    In an interview about Hackford, Mirren said:

    "He's not my cup of tea, but he's my shot of tequila".

    Mirren's assertion about being child-free has allowed her to prioritise her freedom and devote her time and energy to acting, her philanthropic projects, and her term as an ambassador for L'Oréal.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    A post shared by Helen Mirren (@helenmirren)

    At age 79, Mirren is playing roles from action in Red (2010) to more historical drama in 1923.

    She reunites with Pierce Brosnan in The Thursday Murder Club for the first time since The Long Good Friday. On the topic of working with him again, she told TODAY:

    "I'm just so crossed it has taken this long." 

     

    Mark your calendars for August 28, 2025, when Helen Mirren's Elizabeth Best proves, once again, that the sharpest brains never retire. As The Thursday Murder Club makes its way on Netflix, expect laughs, spins, and probably the desire to remember that some of the best stories can come from unexpected places. Mirren, being the dame she is, will make sure that it is a killer watch. Stay tuned for more updates.

     

    TOPICS: Helen Mirren


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