Helen Mirren: "It's so sad that Kurt Cobain never got to see GPS"

Dame Helen Mirren recently sat down for a sprawling life retrospective interview with The Evening Standard. Over the course of 38 minutes, the conversation with host Evgeny Lebedev touches on topics ranging from Mirren's childhood, to her embrace of spirituality and rejection of religion, to the geographic DNA of war in the Middle East.

Around 12 minutes into the chat, Lebedev asks Mirren about aging gracefully—how she maintains her vigor, how she copes with the changes in the world and her body. Mirren's answer is touchingly bittersweet—a thoughtful comment on embracing the wonders of mortality, and the joy she's found in witnessing so many incredible new inventions throughout her life. Case in point: the GPS. She tells Lebedev"

I always say, it's so sad that Kurt Cobain died when he did, because he never got to see GPS. It's the most wonderful thing, my little blue spot walking down the street. I just find it completely magical and unbelievable.

I will admit, I had never given much thought to Kurt Cobain's theoretical relationship to Google Maps. But now it's something I'm going to be thinking about for quite some time.

Helen Mirren: 'I feel so grateful that I knew a world without technology. Human connection was different then' [Evgeny Lebedev / The Evening Standard]