Helen Mirren has revealed a surprisingly unconventional approach to her health: she says she avoids doctors and sometimes turns to artificial intelligence instead.
The 81-year-old Oscar winner made the candid admission while promoting her new thriller A Talent for Murder at the Toronto International Film Festival alongside costars Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Cooke.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ehrenreich and Cooke admitted they both tend to worry about their health.
Mirren said she is the complete opposite.
“I just completely ignore everything,” she joked, describing herself as having the “opposite of hypochondria.”
When Ehrenreich asked whether that meant she avoided doctors, Mirren doubled down.
“Oh no, totally,” she said. “And it’s working.”
The conversation then took an unexpected turn toward artificial intelligence.
Ehrenreich joked that he would be thrilled to have a doctor living in his house.
Mirren quickly replied: “Well, you do. It’s called AI.”
She went on to describe the technology as “amazing” and “incredible.”
Mirren’s comments appeared lighthearted, and she did not suggest that AI should replace professional medical treatment for serious health problems.
Still, her enthusiasm for the technology is particularly notable given what she did just two years earlier.
While accepting a lifetime achievement honor at the American Cinematheque Awards in February 2024, Mirren read from an intentionally generic acceptance speech before revealing that it had been written by artificial intelligence.
She then dramatically tore it up onstage and continued with her own remarks.
Watch Helen Mirren tear up the AI-generated speech
The stunt drew applause from the audience and was widely interpreted at the time as a rejection of AI-generated creative work.
Her latest comments suggest Mirren may have a more complicated relationship with the technology than that viral moment implied.
She may not want AI writing her acceptance speeches, but she apparently has no problem asking it questions.
Despite joking about avoiding doctors, Mirren has repeatedly spoken about taking care of herself as she gets older.
She has long credited a simple military-style workout with helping her remain active.
For decades, Mirren has used the Royal Canadian Air Force’s XBX exercise program, a roughly 12-minute routine designed around progressively more difficult bodyweight exercises.
Mirren has said she has practiced versions of the routine for around 60 years — although she has joked that she has never progressed particularly far through its difficulty levels.
She has also encouraged older adults to stay active without feeling pressured to follow extreme fitness routines.
In previous interviews, Mirren has recommended simple activities such as walking and yoga and has said aging should be embraced rather than feared.
The actress certainly does not appear to be slowing down professionally.
Mirren was at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting A Talent for Murder, in which she plays famed crime novelist Patricia Highsmith.
The psychological thriller, directed by Anton Corbijn and costarring Ehrenreich, is scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on Oct. 23.
She is also returning as Maeve Harrigan in the second season of Paramount+ crime drama MobLand.
But it was Mirren’s blunt answer about doctors — and her unexpected praise for AI — that ended up generating some of the biggest attention from the interview.
At 81, Mirren’s personal philosophy appears remarkably simple: stay active, avoid obsessing over every ache and pain — and apparently, don’t be afraid to ask a chatbot a question.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.