Helen Mirren’s sex education

Helen Mirren admits her latest role as a madam of a brothel in Love Ranch was a bit of a stretch. “I’m a would-be rebel — the good girl who’d like to be a bad one, she tells New York magazine. “I’m not a prude or a moralist and I never have been, but I’m too fearful, too much of a wimp, really.” In order to break out of her shell and get into the role, husband and director Taylor Hackford convinced the Oscar-winning actress to spend a night in an actual brothel. “It’s amazing how quickly you get into dildos everywhere and pink-feather handcuffs,” she says. “Within an hour you’re completely used to it.”