Golda Meir’s Grandson Defends Helen Mirren’s Casting in ‘Golda’

When we see Dame Helen Mirren as Golda, no one should raise any doubts about what proves to be the most natural casting for Golda. I was fortunate and grateful to have helped the brilliant and dedicated screenwriter Nicholas Martin with sharing my memories and thoughts and insights about my late grandmother, Golda Meir, around the Yom Kippur War and other times, her personality, and her many other facets. I read the script at different stages, and we had many wonderful discussions. One day, the question of casting came up. Several great actresses were mentioned, and I wasn’t convinced of any. So, I suggested Helen Mirren.

At the time, I was watching reruns of Mirren’s wonderful Prime Suspect — a woman in a position of leadership in a Man’s World, the hardships, the victories, the dilemmas, the personal conflicts, so intelligently and deeply played. I could already see the parallels with Golda’s story.

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As someone who dabbles in the arts and has sculpted a portrait or two, I knew that with makeup Mirren could easily become Golda. But I couldn’t have imagined how convincing she would be in capturing the physicality of Golda’s body — her heavy gait (“She sailed like a ship,” Mirren said), her movement, and her femininity.

I admire Mirren’s work as much as I admire her as a person. I have watched many hours of her interviews over the years. She’s always at eye-level, sincere, original, funny, captivating. Just the kind of charisma one needs for playing Golda. And a true mensch through and through.

Mirren is herself an icon of strong independent womanhood and humanism, who empowers as a role model for both women and men, and thus, couldn’t be more fitting for the part. I loved Mirren’s interview about playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen where she said she was never a royalist, nor took any interest in royalty, and through playing the queen grew to admire and like her. I knew Mirren would have no problem loving my grandmother. I couldn’t wait to see her interpret Golda.

Mirren’s portrayal of Golda is convincing because it is deep, natural, and unaffected — just like Golda was.

Golda, directed by Guy Nattiv and starring Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin and Liev Schreiber, is now playing in theaters.

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