Why The Young Helen Mirren Was Perfect For Playing A Rock Star (It Wasn’t Because She Could Sing)

David Hare, on his 1975 play Teeth ‘n’ Smiles: “Helen’s ways of not listening to direction were far more sophisticated than those of anyone I had previously encountered. Once she received me naked for a notes session in her dressing room. She discarded the Evening Standard, which had briefly obscured her, clearly with the aim of putting me off my stride. She succeeded.”