‘Jewface’ row: Helen Mirren shouldn’t be playing Golda Meir, says Maureen Lipman

Dame Helen Mirren has been drawn into the debate over “Jewface” casting after Dame Maureen Lipman said the actress should not be allowed to play Golda Meir.

In her latest film, Golda, Dame Helen portrays the Israeli leader during the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

Dame Maureen said that the part should not have been given to a non-Jew, and told the Jewish Chronicle that she was uncomfortable with the casting.

“With that I disagree, because the Jewishness of the character is so integral,” she said.

“I’m sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be allowed for Ben Kingsley to play Nelson Mandela. You just couldn’t even go there.”

A publicity image for the film showed Dame Helen transformed through prosthetic make-up to play Meir, who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969-74.

Dame Maureen’s comments were part of a discussion prompted by Tamsin Greig, who told the Telegraph last month that she “probably shouldn’t” have played a Jewish mother in Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner because she is a practising Christian, albeit one with Jewish ancestry.

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Patrick Marber, the playwright who recently directed Sir Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, takes the opposite view.

He told the Jewish Chronicle that he hated the idea of “lived experience” being critical to casting decisions.

“‘Lived experience’ is sort of a denial of what creativity is and denies the actor the fundamental challenge and right to become someone else - to impersonate another human being from another time, from another culture, from another religion, another sexuality and other gender,” he said.

“I really want us Jews to fight our corner, but to not be exclusive and excluding. I want us Jews to be liberal-minded and generous.

“I think a gentile can play a Jew and a Jew can play a gentile. I don’t like it when someone plays a Jew and gets it wrong. [But] I don’t like quotas. I don’t like laws. I think we should be better than that, we Jews.”

Elliot Levey, who is currently playing a German Jew in Cabaret in the West End, said: “The notion of people showing their papers to authenticate Jewish ancestry in order to justify playing a Jewish role is a dystopian nightmare.”

Sarah Silverman, the US comedian, recently criticised the casting of non-Jewish actress Kathryn Hahn as Joan Rivers. She said: “One could argue… that a gentile playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is actually called ‘Jewface’.

“Right now, representation matters. It has to also finally matter for Jews as well, especially Jewish women.”

The debate over Jewish characters follows a pushback against “blackface” and “yellowface” casting on stage and screen, along with “gayface”. Russell T Davies, the writer of It’s A Sin, has said that gay actors should be cast in gay roles.

Dame Helen has not spoken publicly about her latest role but she is a prominent supporter of Israel. In November, she added her name to an open letter rejecting a cultural boycott of the country. The letter called on Jews and Arabs to work together “under a shared love of the arts”.

Her previous films include Woman in Gold, the true story of Maria Altmann, an Austrian-American Jewish refugee who fought to retrieve family heirlooms stolen by the Nazis.

In The Debt, she played a retired Mossad agent. While promoting that film, she was asked by the New York Times if she might be “a secret Jew” yet to discover her heritage.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she replied. “My mum came from the working class East End of London, where the Jewish immigrants began their journey in English society. I’ve always thought I might have either some Jewish or some Gipsy, one or the other.”

The actress also joked that her “love of sparkle” might be an indication of hidden Jewish roots.

Dame Helen has Russian heritage - she was born Ilynea Lydia Mironoff, and her father changed the family name by deed poll several years later.

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