In a 2014 interview with AARP The Magazine, Helen Mirren opened up about her decision not to have children. At the time, she was 68 and spoke honestly about how she had always felt about motherhood.
Mirren said, “I never felt the need for a child and never felt the loss of it. I’d always put my work before anything.”
Her words reflected a choice she had made throughout her life. Mirren has often spoken about not feeling a strong desire to become a mother. In another interview in 2007, she told Contact Music that she had “no maternal instinct whatsoever.”
During the same 2014 interview, Mirren also spoke about marriage and her relationship with director Taylor Hackford. The couple had been together for 12 years before marrying in 1997.
Mirren recalled that she once described marriage as a “voluntary imprisonment.” However, when talking about Hackford, she explained why she believed they had met at the right time in their lives.
She said, “I used to say to Taylor, ‘Oh why didn’t we meet earlier?’ But it’s a really good thing, because we probably wouldn’t be together now. I couldn’t have dealt with him earlier on. He would have been much too difficult.”
Mirren’s comments showed that she had made important life choices based on what felt right for her. She did not feel that motherhood was something she needed, and she believed her career had always been an important part of her life.
Her views on marriage also showed how timing can matter in relationships. Looking back, Mirren felt that meeting Hackford later allowed them to build a lasting relationship that may not have worked if they had met much 2earlier.
Her honest comments continue to attract attention because she openly chose a life that was different from traditional expectations.