Helen Mirren actors to achieve the “Triple Crown of Acting”, joining the ranks of legends including Ingrid Bergman‚ Dame Maggie Smith, and Al Pacino. In 1998, Mirren played Cleopatra to Alan Rickman's Antony in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the National Theatre. The production received poor reviews; "The Guardian" called it "plodding spectacle rarely informed by powerful passion", while "The Daily Telegraph" said "the crucial sexual chemistry on which any great production ultimately depends is fatally absent". In 2000 Nicholas Hytner, who had worked with Mirren on the film version of "The Madness of King George", cast her as Lady Torrance in his
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel treatment to Fox Searchlight Pictures executives for a sequel titled "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2". Most of the cast agreed to come back. On 28 October 2013, "Radio Times" revealed that the cast would be flying to India to shoot the sequel film in January 2014. On 2 December 2012, Showbiz411 stated that Colin Firth and Helen Mirren might join the ensemble cast of the film (they ultimately did not). On 28 October 2013 "Radio Times" stated that Penelope Wilton confirmed the cast, including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie, would return for the