Talking with: Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren finds herself delivering a unique double bill this year, one that could bring her nominations for both an Emmy and an Oscar for portrayals of English queens named Elizabeth.

On TV, the esteemed British actress plays Elizabeth in HBO's recent two-part film "Elizabeth I," revealing the storied monarch to be a fickle romantic desperate for love. Being a longtime favorite of Emmy voters (winning lead actress awards for "Prime Suspect 4" and "The Passion of Ayn Rand"), Mirren looks like a sure contender again when nominees are announced on July 6.

And in film, Mirren is being talked about as a possible Academy Award nominee for "The Queen," in which she portrays Elizabeth II trying to cope with the news that the controversial Princess Di died in a car crash. The Miramax film opens in limited release on December 15. Mirren is no stranger to the Oscar process, having earned nominations for her work in "Gosford Park" and "The Madness of King George."

Here, Mirren discusses both Elizabeths in an edited version of the Q&A. To hear a podcast of the entire interview, click here.

Q: How did this production of "Elizabeth I" come about? Was it because you had worked with director Tom Hooper on "Prime Suspect."

A: No. It went the other way around, quite honestly. I was asked if I would like to play Elizabeth in a four-hour piece. The script hadn't been written and I said, "Yes, of course, I would love to do that. That sounds incredibly exciting!" And then the production company went away and wrote the script and then I had my contribution and they came in with another draft, which I said, "Yes, this is great." And then they said, "Do you have any ideas for directors?" And having worked with Tom and having felt he did a really wonderful job on "Prime Suspect," I put his name forward and that is how that happened.

Q: This production's perspective on Elizabeth is unusual, right?

A: Yes, it's a perspective that concentrates on her personal life in the latter part of her reign. Her personal life was as full and as dramatic and as extraordinary as her public life. And we try to watch the way those two lives interact, the personal and the private.

Q: You portray her as someone totally in charge and cool. But what critics love is that you then show this quicksilver switch in emotion, suddenly screaming, "I want them alive when you cut out their hearts!"

A: Yes, cut off their balls, actually. You know there was a very, very deep belief in those days that if you're a monarch, then God wanted you to be a monarch and, if anyone challenged that, they'd be challenging the law of God. That was why it was so difficult for Elizabeth to execute Mary Queen of Scots because she was a God-anointed queen and I think she felt that she was going against God's choice, God's law. At that point I think she felt that, in doing the best for her country, she was assigning herself to hell.

Q: So many actresses have famously portrayed Elizabeth. Was it a challenge to make a role like this your own?

A: I didn't look at anybody's else's idea of Elizabeth. I had seen Cate Blanchett's movie, which I really enjoyed, although historically it was a bit of a fantasy. As indeed Bette Davis' was. The closest to the history was Glenda Jackson's, but that took place over six hours and it very specifically had to do with the political story

Q: And now you're the only actress ever to portray both Elizabeths …

A: I hope I always will be!

Q: Your upcoming film, "The Queen," in which you portray Elizabeth II, already has huge Oscar buzz. What can you tell us about that?

A: It was an extraordinary experience to play those two queens back to back because having just finished Elizabeth I, I had about three weeks off and I started work on Elizabeth II. So it was amazing to play those two roles back and to back and to find the dissimilarities, which there are many, many, many.

Q: Give us some examples.

A: Well, the first Elizabeth was very emotionally open, passionate or, one might say, hysterical. She was almost psychotic in her use of emotion, as far as what I can understand about her from what I read. Elizabeth II is the extreme opposite. She's very, very emotionally controlled. I don't think that means at all that she doesn't have the deepest, most passionate feelings. I believe she does. But she holds them in control, she doesn't feel that it's her place or her responsibility to indulge in those emotions. So she's the most extraordinarily self-controlled, self-disciplined person. I think Elizabeth I wanted to be queen, really wanted it. I don't think Elizabeth II particularly wanted it. But the mantel. having descended on both of their shoulders, they stood up, put their chins up and said "Right! This is what I am for the rest of my life and I will not turn away from it!" and they took that on board and they dedicated their lives to it with a sort of single-minded purpose and I think that's what they absolutely share in common.

Q: What is the focus of "The Queen" in terms of Elizabeth II?

A: It's very much about the two weeks after Diana died. So it starts basically with the death of Diana and follows through the trauma that happened within the royal family and their relationship with the British public in those two weeks, three weeks.