Helen Mirren Dishes on Beauty, Nudity, and Virgins

Let me introduce myself by talking about a hallway filled with beige, flowered carpeting. It exists on the hush-hush 15^th Floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

I've been privileged to watch many of the world's great and most beautiful movie stars get their heels stuck in this plush carpeting. Manolos. Jimmy Choos. Stewart Weitzmans. Christian Louboutins with their cheery red bottoms. They're all goners on this floor.

Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Beta-Greata-Jones, Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, Lauren Bacall, Sarah Jessica We Love You Parker to name a few have all trotted down these hallways.

It's Sunday morning, a rainy, wind-driven day, in Beverly Hills and one of the greatest beauties of all is negotiating the rug. Clacking along in sky-high stilettos, she's also wearing the tightest little black dress. No jewelry. Great posture. Her best accessory: Confidence.

She's sexy. She's flirty. She really knows how to work a LBD.

Note to my Dad: Yes, she's still married!

She's Helen Mirren and I want to be her when I grow up.

She's 65. I'm soon to be 50.

I need to learn everything. Right now. Pretty, pretty please!

SACRIFING VIRGINS

So, Ms. Mirren is starring in the new screen version of "Arthur," which opens in a week and this means that she appear at the Four Seasons to talk with entertainment columnists like myself. When we sit down, it's obvious that the movie must wait just a minute.

Let's get right to it.

How does she look so damn good? What are her beauty secrets? We will beg if necessary.

Mirren, who famously played a Queen in "The Queen," gives you one of those saucy stares that would probably get her kicked out of William and Kate's upcoming wedding. Actually, I've interviewed her numerous times over the years and I know she hates dishing on her beauty. But we must. It's …legally required.

So I ask her for just a few trade secrets, and she's so accommodating that she agrees to share. But first there will be some pomp.

She leans in. She lowers her voice.

 "Many virgins have died in my pursuit of beauty," she says. Then she smiles. To give you a moment to digest.

Oh, virgins! When you're 65, you just sacrifice virgins in your upstairs his-and-hers bathroom. That's the key.

PUNCHING ARTHUR

Helen laughs in that way that only refined Englishwomen can do and gives you a moment to soak her in. She has shorter, shiny grey hair that seems to be backlit, but it's really some great and very subtle highlights. Add this to perfect thick bangs and a neck that goes for miles. She's in top-notch shape, but not crazy skinny. She even plays a boxer of sorts in the new film "Arthur" where she actually plays Russell Brand or Arthur's nanny.

 "Punching Russell was great," Helen shares. "The best part was being taught how to punch by Evander Holyfield who was my personal trainer. He is a champion and a big guy. Scary. He was on the set in the corner and I asked him a million questions."

 "Part of looking your best," she shares, "is having an active mind. That light must always be on."

Wait, she's saying that curiosity is even better than the latest luminizing moisturizer from Philosophy? Love of life, according to Helen, beats any expensive spa treatment? Could it be that simple?

Maybe so. The men certainly think so.

"There is a fountain of youth somewhere when it comes to Helen," Brand says. "Did I mention I have a huge crush on her? She's a very hot babe."

THAT HOT BIKINI

Stand in line, pal. Everyone has a huge crush on Helen, especially after she was snapped by the paparazzi on a beach in a red bikini.  No, this is not a typo. In a red bikini. Ask her if women "of a certain age" are allowed to flaunt it in skimpy red Spandex and she just laughs.

"That was just me posing for a picture for my husband (director Taylor Hackford) when we were on vacation. The paparazzi happened to be nearby and caught me at the exact right time. The lighting was perfect.

"Thank goodness!" she cries.

Mirren is modest about her beauty and shy despite the fact that she has consented to film nude scenes.

"The day I had to do a nude scene for a movie called 'Savage Messiah,' (1972), I remember I had to walk bullock naked down a flight of stairs. I was mortified and embarrassed," she cries.

"I remember that morning like it was yesterday. I came out of my trailer wondering if I threw myself out of the top stairs of the trailer could I manage to break my leg and not do the nude scene," she says.

"I was so mortified and unhappy about it. What would have made it better is if the crew would have taken off all their clothes!" she quips.

She laments, "Of course, I wouldn't like to do that scene today. I think it's worse when you're young because you're more of a sex object. Then you become an object of horror."

All of us wish we could be so horror-ible. This leads me to the next round of questions.

"Helen, uh, Miss Mirren, give us something here. We need help," I beg.

"Dear, I don't workout all the time. I try to take care of myself and eat right and workout when I can. And don't wear too much makeup," she advises.

It's true that in person her face seems to have a little bit of base makeup on it and a hint of eye shadow. Maybe there's a coat or two of mascara. The red in her cheeks comes from her favorite hobby.

"I do love to garden. I guess we all have a dream of what it would be like not to work and just grow heirloom tomatoes. In fact, one of the highlights of my life was getting to repot a plant with Martha on 'The Martha Stewart Show,'" she says. "I watch her show and actually take notes."

But don't worry about her retiring. "Actually, I love my work more than planting tomatoes. I'm excited to be with wonderful people on movie sets."

Here comes the biggest secret: "Life is about the wonderful surprises when you surround yourself with people who challenge you. You can't quit at any age," she says.

In other words, beauty starts with the brain.

"I believe life is about constantly conquering your own fears by putting yourself in ridiculous situations," she says. "It's about challenging your own feelings of fear.

"You just have to do it," she advises.

I'm so honored to do this blog. Many of you know me from the Chicago Sun Times or New York Times Syndicate work. Others know me from writing a book series called "The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets."

INTRODUCING ME….

I love writing about stars and adore writing about beauty. The stars are exciting, but I need the beauty info.

I'm having a birthday on April 15. I have fine lines. Enough said.

In this blog, I'll tell you specifically what other stars do to stay younger, fitter and more gorgeous. We won't break the bank and I promise if I tell you about a product, I've personally used it. Or maybe I'll tell you what not to waste your money on. We'll go over their tips and tricks and everything from not only the stars, but also their peeps – their skin and hair pros, docs, nutritionists and sadists (I mean exercise pros).

I wanted to start with the Queen who has the best-est beauty advice in the land. In a nutshell: It's mind over what doesn't really matter.

By the way, love doesn't hurt as a beauty trick. A few years ago, I ran into Helen and her husband director Taylor Hackford on Date Night. They were standing on a street in front of a movie theater in Westwood, California, waiting to get into a show.

She had the most fabulous sky blue scarf wrapped around her neck. There were a few lines on her face. Her hair was a total mess because it was windy. Her hand was held by her husband…and she looked absolutely stunning.  

Long live the Queen!