British actress Dame Helen Mirren has said Israel must “exist forever” and that she has chosen to ignore pressure to boycott Israel throughout her career.
Mirren discussed her thoughts about Israel after being cast to play the country’s first female Prime Minister Golda Meir in the biopic Golda.
Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, Mirren said: “I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel, and I believe Israel has to go forward into the future, for the rest of eternity.
“I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.”
Dame Helen went on to reveal that she faced pressure from the BDS movement throughout her career to ignore Israel.
However, the award-winning actress made clear that she supports Israeli artists and the country adding: “I’ve met such extraordinary people in Israel.
“I know there is a base, a foundation of deep, intelligence, thoughtfulness, commitment, poetry even in Israel that is very, very special, I think.”
Mirren’s interview was recorded in July when she was in Israel for the premiere of Golda at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
