Helen Mirren has a decidedly unconventional approach to health concerns. The Oscar winner says she “totally” avoids doctors and has turned to artificial intelligence when she has a medical question. The actress shared the surprising habit at the Toronto International Film Festival while promoting “A Talent for Murder.” Her answer came after co-stars Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Cooke admitted they tend to worry about their health.
Helen Mirren says she turns to AI when she has medical questions
During an Entertainment Weekly interview, Cooke and Ehrenreich described themselves as hypochondriacs. Helen Mirren immediately put herself at the opposite end of that spectrum. She joked that she has the “opposite of hypochondria” because she tends to ignore health worries. When Ehrenreich asked whether she avoids doctors, she confirmed that she does.
Ehrenreich then joked that he would happily have a doctor living in his house. Mirren had a ready answer: AI. She said artificial intelligence can provide information when someone wants to ask about symptoms and called the technology “amazing” while describing her experience using it for health questions.
Her enthusiasm marks an interesting shift. In 2024, Mirren mocked an AI-generated speech while accepting an honor at the American Cinematheque Awards. She criticized the technology’s attempt to imitate a personal acceptance speech.
Still, technology has fascinated her in other ways. Mirren has repeatedly praised GPS and once expressed sadness that Kurt Cobain died before experiencing the technology.
The latest comments came as Mirren promoted “A Talent for Murder” at TIFF. She plays novelist Patricia Highsmith in Anton Corbijn’s psychological thriller opposite Ehrenreich and Cooke.
The upcoming movie follows a publishing representative who travels to Switzerland in hopes of convincing Highsmith to write another Tom Ripley novel. Bleecker Street has scheduled the movie for an Oct. 23 theatrical release.
Mirren also remains busy on television. She returns as Maeve Harrigan when MobLand Season 2 premieres on Paramount+ on Sept. 18.
For now, Mirren’s comments about doctors and AI are among the more unusual details to emerge from her TIFF appearances.
