Dame Helen Mirren doesn’t believe she is "sexy".
The 71-year-old actress regularly finds herself on the best dressed list at showbiz events, but says there’s a difference between being nice to look at and being sexy, and would "argue" that she isn’t a "sexual object".
The ‘RED’ star said: "I’m not sexy.
"If you see a painting you love, one that speaks to you, you can say, ‘Oh my god, that painting is sexy.’ That doesn’t mean you want to f**k it.
"When [people say] I’m a sexual object, I’d argue – I’m so not that. It’s just something that gets hung on your back and you can never quite get it off."
And the ‘Caligula’ actress – who has long been an opponent of sexism and ageism in the film industry – also pointed out the importance of "making people around you" forget the labels that often go with certain ages.
Speaking at her event AARP Magazine: Helen Mirren Luncheon as part of her appearance in this month’s edition of the publication, she said: "It’s making people around you – directors, whoever – and making yourself let go of being a beautiful 30-year-old, or a distinguished 40-year-old, or an interesting 50-year-old.
"You just have to let go of whatever it is and move on."
Helen – who stars alongside female icons Kate Winslet, Julianne Moore and Uma Thurman in the 2017 Pirelli calendar – recently said she believes her status as a sex symbol will stay with her until the day she dies.
She said: "I think it’s probably going to follow me to my grave."
While the star might not think she is sexy, fellow actor James Marsden recently explained to Ellen DeGeneres that he’s had a "massive crush" on Helen for years, and even admitted to "stalking" the beauty.
He said: "I just love her, I do. I’ve had a massive crush on her for years.
"I was on a flight with her once to Rome, and when I got off the flight, I followed her … to baggage claim, and in a very creepy voyeuristic way, I took a photo of her while she was walking.
"Very creepy. I was avoiding seeing her backstage because I didn’t want her to know that I was stalking her in the Rome international airport."
Dame Helen Mirren: I’m not sexy
