Helen Mirren Shines at “Golda ”Special Screening — See the Look!

The Oscar winner plays the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the biopic

Helen Mirren stepped out in style at a special London screening of her new film Golda.

The Oscar winner, 78, posed for pictures on the red carpet on Thursday at Picturehouse Central.

For the event, Mirren wore her shoulder-length hair with a sleek side part. The Barbie narrator donned a tailored black suit with a white blouse underneath. A loose-fitting black tie was exposed by her unbuttoned suit’s jacket.

In the historic drama, Mirren portrays the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir as she overcomes the challenges of the 19-day Yom Kippur War in October 1973 when Egypt, Syria, and multiple other countries in the Middle East launched a surprise attack on Israel.

This leaves the Prime Minister with a skeptical cabinet and a complex relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (played by Liev Schreiber).

Golda’s trailer was released in late July and featured an almost unrecognizable Mirren.

In August, the Woman in Gold actress opened up to DuJour magazine about how the power of makeup helped her transform for the role. The film's makeup department "went through various manifestations" to get her look for the part right," she explained.

“Eventually we got to a point where we felt it was sufficient but hopefully not too much. With that sort of makeup, you’re wandering into dangerous territory," Mirren said. "Obviously, it’s there and you can’t say it’s not there. But on the other hand, the audience knows I’m not an Irish woman living in Montana.”

Mirren, whose Oscar win was for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, added that sometimes the makeup would leave her feeling more like Meir than she expected.

Related: Helen Mirren's Extraordinary Life and Career in Photos

“I’ve never done anything like that before. It was an adventure," she said. "I got so used to being that person in the daytime that when the makeup all came off and I saw myself as I am, I’d forgotten that was what I looked like."

"There’s a picture the crew made of me and Golda, and we’re in identical outfits," Mirren added. "She’s turning to me and saying something, and I’m looking forward with a cigarette. It’s really powerful.”

Before getting acclimated into her role as the Prime Minister, the Catherine the Great alum, who is not Jewish, addressed the criticism that came with portraying Meir.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"It was certainly a question that I had before I accepted the role,” Mirren told the Daily Mail in February 2022.

Her statement was a response to Dame Maureen Lipman's argument that "ethnicity should be prioritized" in roles like this.

Mirren noted that she voiced her concerns with Golda 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."

"My opinion was that if the ethnicity or gender of the character drives the role then that ethnicity should be prioritized, as it is now with other minorities," Lipman stated, in part.

"I do believe it is a discussion that has to be had – it's utterly legitimate," Mirren said in response, before 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," Mirren added.

Meir, who was Israel's premier from 1969 to 1974, died in 1978 at age 80 from lymphatic cancer.

Golda was released in the U.S. on Aug. 25.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.