Helen Mirren Won't Race in 'Fast 8'

Nick Schager
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Helen Mirren (Photo: F. Gary Gray/Instagram)

Next summer’s Fast 8 will be the series’ first installment without the late Paul Walker, who died before the completion of 2015’s Furious 7. Nonetheless, it will feature an expanded all-star cast, welcoming Charlize Theron and Game of Thrones’ Kristofer Hivju alongside returning series vets Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Jason Statham, But the most surprising new franchise player is undoubtedly Helen Mirren, who’ll take part in the crew’s latest bout of automotive mayhem — even if, unfortunately, she won’t be getting behind the wheel herself.

Related: Helen Mirren Calls Hollywood Ageism ‘F—ing Outrageous’

Speaking to Shirley Li for EW.com, Mirren revealed that Fast 8 — which will only require her for one day of filming — won’t provide her with the opportunity to race any of her co-stars:

“I wanted to be driving, but unfortunately, I’m not. Maybe that will come in the future, in Fast and Furious 12. I’m probably one of the few people on the set who know how to drive a gear shift car. I doubt the Rock knows. But I do. I know how to double declutch.”

Related: New ‘Fast 8’ Photo Shows Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs in the Clink — See More Shots From the Set

This is undoubtedly disappointing news for the actress, who told Yahoo Movies last year that one of her remaining career goals was to take control of a vehicle in a Fast and Furious movie:

“My great ambition is to be in a Fast and Furious movie. I so want to be a mad driver in a Fast and Furious movie. My claim to fame is I always do my own driving — I was on Top Gear, and I did [my lap] in a very good time. I keep putting it out there, and they never ask me. I’ll be in Fast and Furious 8. I have to say Vin Diesel is brilliant. I love Vin Diesel. He’s a great guy, smart — I love him. It’s partly because of him I’d like to be in one, but also the driving.”

Related: See the Absurd Array of Cars Lined Up for ‘Fast 8’

While Mirren claims that she’s “nervous” about joining the well-oiled Furious fold (since they’ve been working together for so long), there’s no doubt that she’ll bring a measure of imposing class to the latest film when it races into theaters on April 14, 2017.

Watch Helen Mirren’s appearance on ‘Top Gear’: