Michelle Randolph found her first major role when she landed the part of Elizabeth on 1923. While she wasn’t new to the industry, she had never worked alongside a-list actors like Oscar winner Helen Mirren. But Mirren quickly taught her that not all celebrities are prima donnas.
While giving The Hollywood Reporter an inside look at her experience on the set of the Paramount+ hit, Randolph admitted that Mirren is an ordinary person who just happens to be incredibly talented and famous. She never let fame get to her head.
“Honestly, she is so easy to be around,” Randolph explained. “She’s like a little buzzing light.”
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Randolph first met The Queen actress when she attended creator Taylor Sheridan’s infamous cowboy camp. Like everyone else, Mirren did the hard work of learning to ride a horse and lead a buggy for two weeks.
Michelle Randolph recalled noticing Mirren’s down-to-earth personality when they were taking lessons together, and then Mirren really proved to be a friend when she went out of the way to bond with the cast during their downtime.
“On the ranch, we had breakfast every morning, and she just sat around the little fold-out tables with all of us and chatted like normal,” Randolph continued. “So, by the time that we got on set to film, we were all so comfortable with each other because we bonded while learning how to ride horses in the middle of Montana together.”
Both Michelle Randolph and Harrison Ford Gush Over Their ‘1923’ Costar
Helen Mirren plays Dutton Matriarch Cara alongside her fellow Hollywood legend Harrison Ford, and, while talking on the TODAY Show earlier this month, he even made it a point to gush over how much of a “delight” Mirren is. The two have starred in multiple projects together during their separate decades-long careers. Ford can’t help but respect that his on-screen wife never takes “herself too seriously.”
And Michelle Randolph not only agrees with his opinion, but she further loves what Mirren brings to the screen and how she makes everyone’s job a little easier.
“She elevates every scene,” added Randolph. “And she’s so fun to work with because she just brings this magic to every single take.”
“I’ve learned so much just from being with her on set every day, like how she handles herself on and off screen. So I’m just thankful that she was so gracious and wanted to spend time with us. She didn’t have to do that,” She shared. “She could have gone back to her trailer in between setups, but she sat in her cast chair and chatted about anything and everything. So that was really special.”
