Helen Mirren says she and MobLand co-star Pierce Brosnan are ‘boring’ on set

Dame Helen Mirren said it is “really quiet and boring” behind the scenes with MobLand co-star Pierce Brosnan when they are not filming.

The award-winning actress stars in the Paramount crime series as Maeve Harrigan, whose husband Conrad (Brosnan) heads a powerful mob family facing a high-stakes battle to maintain control of north London.

Speaking to the Press Association, the 81-year-old reflected on how she and her on-screen husband differ from their gun-wielding and drug-dealing characters.

Dame Helen Mirren stars in the Paramount crime series as Maeve Harrigan (Aaron Chown/PA)

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Dame Helen praised working with Irish actor Brosnan as they “like and love each other”, adding: “We work in the same way.

“When we’re not shooting, we sit quietly. The two of us in the corner with our books or whatever we’re doing.

“It’s really quiet, really boring.

“Then we get up and boom, we’re in it. We’re the Harrigans – and it’s very weird. It just happens to us, and it’s out of our control.”

Brosnan agreed that his role as patriarch Conrad is “out of my control”, and suggested production on the third series of MobLand begins soon as he reflected on the difficulties of getting into character.

He told PA: “As I come closer to the third season, November 15 I think we kick off, I draw breath.

“I think, ‘oh God, I have to put this armour on again’.”

Pierce Brosnan stars in MobLand as Conrad Harrigan (Ian West/PA)

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Despite the challenges, the 73-year-old explained that he “loves” his role, adding: “I love it even more when I have a text in front of me.

“Because otherwise you’re dealing in the abstract world of ‘how am I going to do this again?’.

“I saw the first episodes with my wife and children just before I set sail for this press tour and it’s like, ‘oh my God, what happened? How did we get there? How did we do that?’.”

The second series will consist of 10 episodes, with the Harrigan family struggling to show a united front while confronted with rising rivals – with “fixer” Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy) at the centre of the drama.

Award-winning actor Brosnan teased: “There is a character that’s been introduced who really can just take us apart.

“It’s a very dangerous situation we find ourselves in.”

Pierce Brosnan teased that a new character in the series threatens to take the Harrigan family ‘apart’ (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

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“There’s also then his own inner turmoil,” the former James Bond star added.

“My character Conrad, he is really dealing with his mortality which is certainly in the wagons, so to speak.”

Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen said the Harrigan family have “no escape” from their dysfunctional criminal empire.

“The greatness of the writing means that the turmoil is coming from within themselves, their own characters and their inability to escape from themselves as it is coming from outside forces and people trying to take over their empire,” she added.

“I think that is the strength of the piece. There are these two forces going on with the Harrigans within and without.”

MobLand series two will premiere globally on Paramount on September 18.