Helen Mirren has started living life a quarter mile at a time, and now she doesn’t want to stop. The actor has made a couple of appearances in the Fast and Furious franchise, and she’d very much like to continue, if only for the absurdity of it all.
“Oh gosh, I hope so. I just wait by the phone to see if they will call me,” she told Variety when asked if she’ll re-appear in the action movies. “I love working with those incredible artists of stunts and of special effects. It’s just great to watch them work and to be a part of their work, and I love to mix it up. I love to go from those big-budget extraordinary technical films to a film that’s much more about relationships and conversations rather than bangs.”
Truly, with her Fast and Furious character, Mirren gets the best of both worlds. As Magdalene Shaw, the mother of Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw, she’s given plenty of room for antics, taking part in car chases and all the rest of it. But also, being Deckard’s mammy, we get some familial banter.
So far, Magdalene has appeared in three of the thriller movies: The Fate of the Furious, Hobbs and Shaw, and Fast 9. She’s avoided death so far, and since she’s well up for it, an appearance in Fast and Furious 10 seems only logical.
It’s currently early days still on the tenth mainline Fast installment. Jason Momoa has joined the cast, and filming is expected to start this spring. Justin Lin is directing once again, and the usual cohort of recurring stars, led by Vin Diesel, are expected to show up.
Beyond muscle cars, Mirren is also part of the DCEU with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, also coming next year. You can catch her in theatres right now for rom-com The Duke, alongside Jim Broadbent.