Fans were so excited to hear that Jason Momoa would be joining the insanely talented cast of Fast & Furious for the upcoming 10th installment of the film. Not only are fans pumped for the addition, but Magdalene ‘Queenie’ Shaw, herself, Dame Helen Mirren, shared her excitement about Jason’s new role in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife.com! “It is great! Jason is such a great guy and he’s the perfect fit,” she exclaimed at the Cinema Society-hosted screening of her new Sony Classics film, The Duke. “Just the perfect fit.”
Jason recently opened up about joining the film, which kicks off production later this month, when attending the Ambulance premiere in Los Angeles. “He’s amazing. He’s ornery. He’s misunderstood,” he told ET of the villain he is set to portray. “I get to shoot with some really cool people that I have never — I get to work with Charlize [Theron] first up, which I’m really excited about, she’s amazing. Then I get to go to some cool places. Obviously work with the whole cast — most of the cast.”
As for Helen’s return to the franchise, she said we can “definitely” expect to see her as Queenie. Recall, the Oscar winner recently joked that she “begged” Vin Diesel to join the FF fam! “I didn’t ask — I begged!” she told The Hollywood Reporter in February 2022. “I think I was at some function, and he was there, and I got introduced to him. And I was shameless: ‘Oh God, I’d just love to be in one of your movies! Please let me be in it.’ And then Vin, with that beautiful, deep voice of his, said: ‘I’ll see what I can do.’ And he did it for me.”
Helen joined the cast in the role of Deckard Shaw’s (Jason Statham) mom, first appearing in F8, then Hobbs & Shaw and F9, but she was apparently disappointed she didn’t get to drive! “[Vin] found this great little role for me, which was perfect,” the 76-year-old told THR, “I’d just never done anything like that before — one of those big, big movies. And, in my vanity, I just loved driving and really wanted to do my own driving in a fast car.”
Now, there is no doubt that the Dame has range, as she floats from comedies to action movies to dramas, and at this point in her career, she admitted she just looks for stories she “hasn’t done before.” “That’s the most important thing. Is it going to be surprising to other people to see me doing this? And is it going to be surprising to myself to find myself doing this?” Helen shared with HollywoodLife. “I try to find things that just really constantly mix it up, which has led me into things like Fast & Furious. Because, amongst other things, it’s lovely to go from something from The Duke to Shazam 2, which is what I actually did! It makes it light and fun.”
Helen Mirren does deliver the “surprise” factor in her latest role as Dorothy Bunton in The Duke, especially when audiences meet her as she scrubs the inside of a fire place, working as a housekeeper for a local councillor and his wife. Her bare face, ragged clothing, furrowed brow and rough New Castle accent were a stark contrast from her elegance, dominance and prestige in The Queen. Still, the decorated actress is as fantastic as ever in The Duke, which hits theaters on April 22, 2022.