Russell Brand & Helen Mirren Share Their Love of 'Arthur'

By Michael Lopez

Within the past two weeks, Tr3s has had the opportunity to talk to castmember Luis Guzmán and director Jason Winer about their new movie Arthur. But, of course, no discussion of the film would be complete without some words from stars Russell Brand and Helen Mirren.

Speaking from a press conference, both Russell and Helen praised their new movie and, not surprisingly, each other.

“We had a wonderful relationship. I’m in love with Helen,” Brand enthusiastically stated.

Mirren was quick to second the notion, saying, “It was such a loving environment. It was very fun.”

Onscreen, both Russell and Helen share a majority of the film’s best moments. The poster describes Brand’s character as “the world’s only lovable billionaire” and, in essence, that’s true. But it’s up to Hobson the nanny (played by Mirren) to make sure he stays in line and doesn’t let his life of excess go too far.

“[Hobson] is a strong character,” Helen explained. “She doesn’t so much stand up to [Arthur], because technically he’s her employer, but she’s perfectly capable and unafraid of telling him he’s behaving like an idiot. It’s a rich, intense, and complicated relationship.”

Though portrayed as lovable, the Arthur character does struggle with alcohol addiction throughout the film. And that was something Russell claimed to identify with quite well.

“I’m such a thorough actor that I’ve done two decades of research just make sure [the alcoholism] was 100% right,” Brand joked. “It was important that we establish the context that the alcoholism was humorous and fun, but not irresponsibly portrayed.”

Though it may be marketed as a comedy, Arthur definitely blends in a fair share of drama too. There are some very emotional scenes between Brand and Mirren, along with romantic ups and downs as Arthur struggles to find love.

When asked to summarize the film, Helen said, “It’s a fantasy we can all carry within us. Arthur is a dreamer and we’re all dreamers.”

Russell, who is also an executive producer of the film, described it as a mix of “irreverent comedy, romance, and drama.”

You can judge for yourself when Arthur hits screens this Friday.

Do you think Russell Brand and Helen Mirren make a good onscreen pair? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Arthur, Exclusive Entrevistas, Helen Mirren, Hot Stuff, Movies & CineMás, Russell Brand