Helen Mirren admits struggling with imposter syndrome and still fears 'being found out'
Veteran actress Helen Mirren has admitted she suffers from imposter syndrome and still "fears being found out".
The Oscar-winner, 76, has revealed she is as "struggling, ambitious, frustrated and self-critical" now as she was in her 20s.
She told the Mail on Sunday's You magazine: "I think of myself as still being the way I was in my mind, in my body, through my 20s, 30s and 40s: struggling, ambitious, frustrated and self-critical.
"I still feel the same person. I wonder if that ever goes? There’s always that endless, niggling feeling: 'Oh god, I’m going be found out any minute now. I got away with it that time, but the next time I’ll be found out.'
"Because you can never be absolutely sure that you’re that good at what you do."
She added: "It’s not like being a doctor or a surgeon or an architect or a gardener where you can look at your work and go: 'Oh yeah, that’s really good.'"
Mirren – who mainly lives in Lake Tahoe, Nevada with her husband, the director Taylor Hackford – joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 20, before getting into the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Her first starring role was in 1969's Age of Consent, at the age of 22, and her breakthrough role was at 35 in the 1980 film The Long Good Friday.
Read more: Adele suffers from 'impostor syndrome' – what is it, and how do you overcome it?
The actress went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for The Queen aged 61 in 2007.
She admits elsewhere in the interview that it "used to really annoy" her how teenage girls were used to market beauty products for older women.
The long-time L'Oreal Paris ambassador noted that "moisturisers work, undoubtedly" by making your skin "better".
However, she pointed out: "You’re not going to drop 30 years by using one. Come on!"
Watch: Celebrities reveal their mental health struggles
