Helen Mirrenis unrecognizable in her latest role, which has sparked some casting controversy.
On Tuesday, Bleecker Street and ShivHans Pictures debuted the trailer forGolda, in which Mirren, 77, portrays former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir as she led the country through 1973’s Yom Kippur War, in which Egypt, Syria and a number of other Middle Eastern countries launched a surprise attack on Israel.
The trailer shows Meir at the outbreak of the conflict and begins to mount a defense before Egypt and Syria’s armies reach Tel Aviv, on the country’s west coast. The prime minister meets then-American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), who reminds her he must act in the United States' best interests even though he is Jewish.
An official synopsis for the film saidGoldameets its title character as she is “faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction” during 1973’s Yom Kippur War.
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In the film, Meir “must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger with millions of lives in the balance,” the synopsis reads.
“Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world,” the synopsis adds.
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Oscar-winner Mirrenpreviously addressed criticismthat a non-Jewish person should not portray Meir back in February, when she responded to Maureen Lipman’s letter toThe Guardian, in which she argued that “ethnicity should be prioritized” in films likeGolda. Lipman said she felt a Jewish actress should portray Meir, the first female head of Israel’s government.
“It was certainly a question that I had, before I accepted the role,” Mirren saidThe Daily Mailat the time, noting that she discussed the issue with director Guy Nattiv.
“I said, ‘Look, Guy, I’m not Jewish, and if you want to think about that and decide to go in a different direction, no hard feelings. I will absolutely understand,’ " Mirren recalled. “But he very much wanted me to play the role, and off we went.”
“I do believe it is a discussion that has to be had — it’s utterly legitimate,” Mirren added, posing the question: “You know, if someone who’s not Jewish can’t play Jewish, does someone who’s Jewish play someone who’s not Jewish? There’s a lot of terrible unfairness in my profession.”
The Yom Kippur War began on Oct. 6, 1973, and ended on Oct. 25, 1973, after the United Nations Security Council called for a ceasefire that Israel accepted after the country began a counter-offensive with military aid from the United States. The conflict brought the U.S. and Soviet Union “closer to a nuclear confrontation” than any point since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, according to the State Department’sOffice of the Historian.
Meir died in 1978 at age 80.
Goldais in theaters Aug. 25.
source: people.com
