Dame Helen Mirren thinks insecurity is a “worm in the brain”

She said when asked if she struggles with feeling insecure: "It's a worm in the brain. I don't think any of us are ever absolutely free of it. But it is particularly debilitating and useless in the young.”

And the ‘Woman In Gold’ star believes being an actress has helped her in her battle, as it means she’s good at hiding the way she feels and “acting [her] way through it”.

When asked during a panel at the Cannes Lions Film Festival on Tuesday

(20.06.17) how she copes with her insecurities, Helen said: "Well, I'm a good actress, you know. That is what it is all about, you just act your way through it. You are not the only one who is going to suffer great self-doubt and insecurity.”

Meanwhile, the ‘Eye In The Sky’ actress recently said things have "changed substantially" for women in the film and television industry, and believes it has become "embarrassing" for filmmakers and studio bosses to turn people down based on their gender.

She said: "In the last 10 years - or really the last three or four years - things have changed substantially. There is a pressure mounting behind a dam, and I hope that that dam is finally bursting in terms of women directors and women-led dramas. When I first did 'Prime Suspect' they were not at all sure that a female-led drama would be acceptable to the public. So that's how much things have changed since we first began 'Prime Suspect'. It's changed hugely.

"The wall will continue to be hit for some time, absolutely. But I think there is a very substantial change in attitudes. I think it's becoming embarrassing to turn someone down because they're female. The mind-set has changed.”