Whether or not they’d read Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, heralded English actors Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Sir Ben Kingsley were all elated to join forces for the best-selling novel’s highly anticipated adaptation.
In an interview with Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko, Mirren, Brosnan, Kingsley, and director Chris Columbus share not only their enthusiasm for working together and the challenges of bringing this beloved book to life, but also a particular pet peeve touched on in the film itself.
The Thursday Murder Club follows a quartet of pensioners who dedicate their free time to solving murder mysteries. So when a couple of acquaintances turn up dead, they’re on the case! And they won’t take any guff from those who underestimate them because of their age — even each other.
In one scene in particular, Joyce Meadowcroft (Celia Imrie) and Elizabeth Best (Mirren) are going undercover, and in her excitement, Joyce says, “This is ever so exciting. I feel like we’re in one of those Sunday night dramas about two bright-eyed, feisty old lady detectives, outsmarting the police at every turn. Do you feel like that?”
To which Elizabeth responds, “No. And Joyce, never use the words ‘bright-eyed feisty old ladies’ in my presence again.”
When asked if Mirren could relate to Elizabeth’s disdain for this phrase, the legendary actor declared, “I loathe the word ‘feisty,'” adding, “Just hate that word, like ‘Fuck off,’ basically.” She went on to call it an “awful, awful word.”
In The Thursday Murder Club, Mirren and her co-stars show there is much more to their characters than ageists might assume. In the interview above, each of them touches on the pleasures of finding these characters’ depths and working as an ensemble.
For more Mashable interviews with your favorite stars, check out our Say More series.
Thursday Night Murder Club is now on Netflix.
