Helen Mirren has revealed that she “totally” avoids doctors and instead turns to artificial intelligence when she has questions about her health. The actress made the unexpected admission during an interview with Entertainment Weekly at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where she was promoting her new thriller A Talent for Murder.
The conversation began when Mirren’s co-stars Alden Ehrenreich and Olivia Cooke discussed their tendency to worry about potential health problems. Mirren joked that she is essentially the opposite, describing herself as having the “opposite of hypochondria” because she tends to ignore medical concerns rather than constantly worry about them.
When Ehrenreich asked whether that meant she actually avoids going to doctors, Mirren gave an emphatic response.
“Totally deny. I avoid doctors. Oh no, totally. And it’s working,”
she told Entertainment Weekly.
Ehrenreich then joked that his own health anxiety sometimes makes him wish he could have a doctor permanently living in his home. Mirren responded with a modern alternative, telling him,
“Well, you do. It’s called AI.”
She continued praising artificial intelligence as a convenient source of information, joking about asking it whether a symptom is serious.
“You know, AI is amazing,”
Mirren said, before humorously describing the technology as reassuring her that something
“doesn’t hurt that much.”
Mirren’s AI Comments Contrast With Her Earlier Criticism
Mirren’s enthusiasm for AI is particularly notable because she previously criticized AI-generated writing. In 2024, while accepting an honor at the American Cinematheque Awards, she publicly objected to an AI-generated speech being associated with her. Her latest comments therefore show a very different attitude toward using AI for everyday information, even though they were delivered humorously.
The actress made the remarks while attending TIFF for A Talent for Murder, which also stars Ehrenreich and Cooke. The film adapts Joanna Murray-Smith’s play Switzerland and follows crime novelist Patricia Highsmith as a young man attempts to persuade her to continue writing about her famous Tom Ripley character. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 23, 2026.
While Mirren’s comments were clearly made in a lighthearted conversation, medical symptoms should still be evaluated by qualified healthcare professionals rather than AI alone.
