Did You Know This ‘1923’ Superstar Once Appeared in an X-Rated Film?

1923 star Helen Mirren is one of the most respected film actors of her generation. But did you know that she once appeared in one of the most controversial X-rated films of all time?

What X-Rated Film Did Helen Mirren Star In?

Mirren was already a well-respected actor when she agreed to take on the role of Caesonia in the deeply controversial 1979 film Caligula.

Her career up until then had consisted mostly of theatrical stage work, with much of it focused on Shakespeare. That may have played into her decision to accept the role of the titular Roman emperor's wife, but the movie that she agreed to appear in and the actual film that got made and released were two very different things.

In fact, with a cast that included not only Mirren, but also Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and more, the film could have been a cinema classic.

But it was not to be.

Why Did Such Respected Stars Agree to Appear in an X-Rated Film Like Caligula?

They didn't. Original screenwriter Gore Vidal and director Tinto Brass originally conceived an epic film based on the decline and assassination of the Roman emperor, and given that it was set in ancient Rome before the fall, the original script did contain a level of eroticism and violence that was bound to be controversial.

Get our free mobile app

Mirren and her co-stars filmed a number of partially nude scenes and simulated sex scenes for the film, but that changed when Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione became attached to the movie's financing.

Brass was dismissed before Caligula was edited. The stars would later reveal that Guccione brought in another director and some adult actors and models to shoot hardcore scenes, which were inserted into the existing film before its release, resulting in an X rating.

What Were the Reviews and Box Office Earnings for Caligula?

The film was brutally panned around the world and banned outright in several countries, earning initial box office receipts between $10 million and $23.4 million against a budget of $17 million.

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert delivered a blistering zero-star review of Caligula that came to define the movie, calling it "sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash."

"If it is not the worst film I have ever seen, that makes it all the more shameful," Ebert opined. "People with talent allowed themselves to participate in this travesty."

Saying he was "disgusted and unspeakably depressed" by the tone of the film, Ebert walked out of the theater two hours into the 170-minute showing.

Walking past the patrons lined up to get into the next showing, he wrote, "I wanted to tell them … that this film is not only garbage on an artistic level, but that it is also garbage on the crude and base level where it no doubt hopes to find its audience."

How Did Caligula's Failure Impact Helen Mirren's Career?

Despite the incredibly poor reviews the film received, Mirren emerged from the debacle intact. In fact, she'd go on to a long and diverse career in theater, television and film that includes films like Excalibur, White Nights, The Madness of King George and many more.

Mirren won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen in 2006. She has also won five Emmys, three Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony and many more.

She was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003.

Mirren currently plays the role of Cara Dutton on the Yellowstone prequel 1923, starring opposite Harrison Ford. The show's Season 2 finale is set to air on Sunday (April 6) via the Paramount+ streaming service.