EXCLUSIVEDame Helen Mirren Reveals VERY Raunchy Inspiration for Her Confidence
Helen Mirren found confidence from wearing high platform heels from a stripper shop.
March 6 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Dame Helen Mirren may have cut her teeth at the Royal Shakespeare Company – but OK! can reveal she found her confidence in a stripper shop.
Revealing that towering platform heels were her "secret weapon" during her early years in Hollywood, the award-laden veteran actress, 80, spoke about her long-standing love of pole-dancing heels in an interview with British Vogue from the front row of Erdem's autumn 2026 show during London Fashion Week.
Helen Mirren said platform heels are her secret weapon.
Reflecting on attending awards ceremonies in Los Angeles in her earlier career, she admitted: "In my early days in L.A., you know, the awards things, and there would be all these actresses like Nicole Kidman and these beautiful, tall, thin, gorgeous actresses, and I'd be this dumpy little five-foot-four thing amongst them."
At the time, she said, high-heeled shoes were not readily available in mainstream fashion.
Mirren also said: "Platform heels were not in fashion. So the only place I could find a platform heel was in the stripper shops on Hollywood Boulevard."
Helen Mirren said she previously only found platform heels from stripper shops.
She also said: "It was $39.99, my first pair of stripper heels, and they worked like magic. Suddenly I was up there eye to eye with Nicole Kidman (who stands at 5ft 11in.)"
Mirren has previously spoken about her preference for high platforms.
In 2010, she said: "Four-inch platforms give you great height and make your legs look unbelievably long. I used only to be able to get them in stripper shops, but now you can buy them everywhere – although, unfortunately, that means everyone else has discovered the trick too."
Mirren's fondness for dramatic footwear was referenced again in 2024 when Mattel created a Barbie doll in her likeness. The doll was modeled on her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, featuring a periwinkle Del Core gown, matching blue hair and platform shoes.
Mirren said at the time of the release of the toy: "Bless the Mattel team, because they got my f--- me pump shoes right."
She added: "Enormous platform Pleasers have always been my secret weapon on red carpets – they give you six inches of height on your legs, and because they're made for strippers, they're quite stable, too."
Mirren is one of Britain's most acclaimed and revered actresses, celebrated for her commanding stage presence and versatile screen career spanning more than five decades.
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Helen Mirren trained as a teacher before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1960s.
Born Ilyena Lydia Mironoff in London in 1945 to a Russian father and English mother, she trained as a teacher before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1960s, where her performances in classical roles established her as a formidable theatrical talent.
Mirren transitioned successfully to film and television, earning international recognition for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, a role that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. She later reprised the monarch on stage in The Audience, winning a Tony Award.
On television, she became a household name as hard-nosed D.C.I. Jane Tennison in the crime drama series Prime Suspect, earning multiple Baftas and Emmys for her performance.
Helen Mirren's performances in classical roles established her as a formidable theatrical talent.
Her filmography ranges from historical epics to action franchises, including appearances in Gosford Park, The Last Station, and the Fast & Furious series.
Known for blending gravitas with wit, Mirren has consistently challenged age stereotypes in Hollywood while remaining outspoken about gender equality and the arts. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 for services to drama.
