Helen Mirren criticized for the role of Golda Meir because she is not Jewish. She bite back in her style

she has extensive experience in creating the roles of charismatic women – suffice it to mention that she caught the attention of international audiences when she played Elizabeth II in “The Queen”, the cinematic drama by Peter Morgan, the creator of the famous “The Crown”. A few years ago, she also played the role of Catherine the Great in a series devoted to her in the HBO production. No wonder Israeli director Guy Nattiv decided to entrust her with the role of Golda Meir – the prime minister was called the “Iron Lady” of politics long before Margaret Thatcher was called in this way. Nevertheless, the choice of the British actress was criticized, among others by Maureen Lippman, an actress known from “The Pianist”.

Helen Mirren criticized for accepting the role of Goldy Meir

After a photo of the already disguised Helen Mirren hit the web, Maureen Lippman was asked by y what she thought would be Meir. The actress admitted that she disapproved of this decision because of the nationality of her colleague: “My opinion is that if ethnicity, religion or gender influences or defines a given character, it is appropriate to prioritize ethnicity. (…) I am sure that Helen Mirren will be great, but we would never let Ben Kingsley play Nelson Mandela. Nobody would even suggest it, “she replied and sparked the media debate about who should play the roles of the Jews.

In this “The Jewish Chronicle”, The statement by actress and comedian Sarah Silverman, who outraged that Kathryn Hahn (non-Jewish) was cast as Joan Rivers (Jewish) in the copyright suspended biography of The Comeback Girl, said: “The representation is so damn important now . It must also be important in the case of the Jewish community. Especially Jewish women. “

A month later, Helen Mirren herself also spoke on this matter, who during an interview with the Daily Mail on February 7 described what her conversation with the director Guy Nattiv looked like, who offered her the role:

I told him, “Look, Guy, I’m not a Jew, so if you want to think about it and decide to go in a different direction, I’ll absolutely understand it.” I will definitely not be offended. But he really wanted me to do the role and we got started on this project.

She also stressed:

I believe that this discussion must take place, it is very important. However, let us consider if someone who is not a Jew cannot play a Jew, can someone with Jewish roots play someone who is not a Jew? There is a lot of terrible injustice in my profession.

Helen Mirren also referred to the words: “I respect Maureen very much and I love her as an actress. I would like to meet her sometime, have a cup of tea and talk about it” and added, “My greatest fear is that I will play Golda very badly.”

Golda Meir photo by Marion S. Trikosko – Image from the resources of the Library of Congress of the United States / Domena Publiczna

The action of the movie “Golda” was set during the Yom Kippur War. The conflict began with a surprise strike by the forces of the Egyptian-Syrian coalition on the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights on October 6, 1973 – on the Jewish holiday. Initially, the Egyptians and Syrians were victorious, but eventually the balance shifted to Israel. The war ended on October 26 with an armistice. Golda Meir was the prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974 – she resigned at her own request. She withdrew from public life and devoted herself to writing books. She died of malignant lymphoma in 1978 – she was 80 years old.