Helen Mirren is the wife that roars in 'The Last Station'

Helen Mirren

In the period drama "The Last Station," Helen Mirren busts loudly out of the buttoned-up, stuffy stereotype that many people may have when they think of the Oscar-winning British actress. In "The Last Station," Mirren plays Sofya Tolstoy, the passionate, larger-than-life (and often emotionally disturbed) wife of famed Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, played by Christopher Plummer. Sofya is a woman fighting to save her marriage and her family’s legacy, as Leo abandons the family and considers changing his will to leave his treasured works to the public.

Mirren has already earned several accolades for her role in "The Last Station," including best-actress nominations for 2010’s Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Spirit Awards. (An Oscar nomination is sure to be added to that list.) In October 2009, "The Last Station" (written and directed by Michael Hoffman) screened at the Rome Film Festival, where Mirren won the prize for best actress. Here’s what she had to say at the Rome Film Festival press conference for "The Last Station."

Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"

Is there anything in your life that helped you played Sofya Tolstoy?

Sadly, all of my Russian relatives have passed away, but I did have a treasure trove of letters from Russia to my grandfather, from his sisters, post-Revolution letters. They’re very moving. I very recently had them translated, so I learned a lot from that. Also the photographs of my Russian family are exactly like photographs of the Tolstoy family. My family came from a very similar economic and intellectual background. So there are similarities in my personal background, but sadly, my Russian relatives were gone and couldn’t advise me.

I took almost all of my inspiration from Michael [Hoffman’s] brilliant and wonderful script and Jay’s book — I don’t know if you’re aware, but [the movie] is based on the novel "The Last Station" by Jay Parini, and it’s a wonderful piece of literature. And, really, I went more to the literature than the history. I did read Sofya’s diaries, but in a funny way, I found the book and the script more of an inspiration to me, because there was a life and a wit in the script and maybe an objectivity in the script that maybe is not so present in the diaries. But mostly it was the absolute charm and brilliance in the script that was penned by Michael Hoffman.

Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"

What was it like working with Christopher Plummer?

I was somewhat intimidated by the thought of working with Christopher Plummer. I do believe he is one of the greatest living actors working in the English language, in film and on stage. He’s an amazing actor with an incredible history, both in film and theater. I was full of respect and slight intimidation. Of course, when you meet great, great artists, usually they’re incredibly nice and easygoing people. Certainly, Christopher was like that.

I had met him before, because he was in a film directed by my husband [Taylor Hackford] called "Dolores Claiborne." So I had met him, and we always seem him in the theater when he is performing. It’s an incredible experience to work with an actor like Chris, and I’m very sad he’s not here [at this press conference], because I think it’s a towering performance. I think it’s an absolutely fantastic subtle but towering performance. I was full of admiration for him as I was watching for him as I was before I started working with him.

Helen Mirren and "The Last Station" writer/director Michael Hoffman at the 2009 Rome Film Festival

What attracted you the most to do "The Last Station"?

I’ve said it many times — and I know I will say it many times — it was the script that made me do this film. It is rare in scripts to have such a delicate, funny, natural, humane piece of work to do. It came to me perfect. It didn’t really need any rewriting or [have] any scenes that were working. Every scene worked beautifully because of that. It wasn’t really specifically the lines. I was working right up to before I started working on the film, so I had to come with very little preparation. So the brilliant costume designer in Germany [Monika Jacobs] had no time for us to have meetings or talk about costumes, and she had to design them all, and I arrived and had a full day’s fitting.

In the interim, I had been working, and I hadn’t forgotten what it was about, but my mind was on other things, and she said to me, "Now, this is the costume that you wear when you shoot at the portrait. And this is the costume you wear when you have to throw the plates. And this is the costume you wear when you have to climb out the balcony and fall through the window. And this is the costume that you wear when you try to commit suicide by throwing yourself into the pond." And I said, "Oh, I remember why I thought this was such a great role!" [She laughs.] It all came back to me. It’s full of such fantastic scenes for any actress.

Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"

Did you agree with Sofya views and would you have acted the same way if Leo Tolstoy were your husband?

That’s a very interesting question. Inevitably, when you play a role, you have to you’re your sympathy with that character and what they’re doing. And I did have absolute sympathy for Sofya’s point of view. Maybe she expressed it in a very excessive way, but I certainly had sympathy with her point of view. It’s very hard to say, because the whole economic situation is so, so different now. It’s very hard to say whether I would’ve taken her point of view or not.

I’m sure ethnically I have a connection with the Sofya Tolstoys of the world, obviously because of my Russian roots. But we are — all of us — very different personalities. Every single person is completely different from the other. I wouldn’t claim any great similarity to her.

Helen Mirren with her award for best actress at the 2009 Rome Film Festival

What do you think about people saying you should be nominated for an Oscar for your role in "The Last Station"?

Well, I think because there are so few great roles for women, whenever there is a great role for a woman, immediately whoever has claimed the role, people start talking about Oscar nominations, because there are not enough of those kinds of roles. It’s easy to talk for a journalist, and in our profession [acting], we really don’t take it too seriously at this point. Obviously, any award is an honor and recognition of all of our work. And this film, like the other film I was [Oscar-nominated for, "The Queen"], is an ensemble piece, so I think there are many great performances in it. So obviously, it’s flattering, but you don’t take it too seriously.

All we want is for the audience to see our film. That’s all we want. We love our movie. We think it’s great. We think it’s got a lot for any audience of any age and any sex and any culture and any nationality. We want as many people to see this film as they can, and anything that helps in that direction, we will greatly receive for all of us.

Helen Mirren in Beverly Hills, California, in December 2009

Do you think roles for women are in better in film or on TV?

I’ve been extremely lucky in the last few years in the roles I’ve been offered to play in film. One just hopes they’ll find their way into the cinema, because I’m sure you all know — you’re professionals — life has become extremely difficult for independent filmmakers and it’s not at all certain that your film will get the distribution that one hopes for or that you’re working for or it deserves. And maybe your film will end up on television as a point of distribution.

We’re very thrilled and honored that ["The Last Station"] will be here at the Rome Film Festival. It’s a wonderful launch pad for the film, so we’re very, very happy to be here. I count myself as very, very lucky that I’ve had wonderful film roles, although I will say that television, in general, for women offers more interesting work.