Ageless sleuths: Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan on The Thursday Murder Club

In a world that often chases youth, The Thursday Murder Club offers a refreshing reminder: life does not stop being adventurous with age. Netflix's new mystery, adapted from Richard Osman's bestselling novel, brings together Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie as retirees who find themselves unravelling a murder case. But behind the glamour of red carpets and Hollywood premieres, both Mirren and Brosnan have revealed that the film speaks to deeper truths—about ageing, friendship, and the richness of experience.
At 80, Dame Helen Mirren continues to prove that age is not a barrier to reinvention. In the film she plays Elizabeth Best, a former spy who leads the group of amateur detectives. At the London premiere, she reflected on the way society perceives older generations.
"We underestimate older people. I did it when I was 25," Mirren said to Reuters. 
"It's absolutely right that young people feel as if the world is theirs and nobody's ever done what they're doing before, you know, but the reality is, of course, every generation has done everything that they're doing."
Her words resonate with the heart of the film, which portrays its senior characters as sharp, daring, and occasionally mischievous. For Mirren, the role was something of a dream fulfilled. When she first read Osman's book, she recalls recognising herself in Elizabeth.
"Embarrassingly, I did. When you read that book, you think immediately this could be a movie and then, if it is, I wonder if they'll ever approach me to play that role, because I'd love to play it. It was sort of a bit of a miracle for me when they did."
Pierce Brosnan, known for his suave James Bond days, undergoes a different transformation as Ron, a former trade union leader with a boisterous personality and a scruffy beard. Yet, despite his long career, Brosnan confessed to nerves about stepping into such a beloved world.
"It's a huge responsibility when you have an audience and the world waiting to see these characters," he said to the BBC.
He even admitted that, on first reading, he pictured another actor entirely. "I never asked Chris why he cast me," Brosnan recalled. "I thought: 'this is Ray Winstone, bro.' But I kept any doubts to myself and thought, 'Don't say anything Pierce, just keep going.'"
In the end, Brosnan says it was the camaraderie with his co-stars that carried him through. "We had a great time on set," he smiled.
Among those co-stars, one connection stood out. Brosnan describes how an unexpected friendship blossomed with Sir Ben Kingsley, who plays Ibrahim, the meticulous former psychiatrist.
"We'd stand around and chat about things we liked and we discovered we both love Laurel and Hardy," Brosnan said warmly. In that moment, Sir Ben couldn't resist breaking into a rendition of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, to which Brosnan cheerfully joined in.
It is a glimpse of the playful chemistry that seems to mirror the spirit of the story itself—humour threaded through with affection and depth.
Although The Thursday Murder Club is a crime comedy, its heart lies in the balance between lightness and gravity. The very first day of filming was set in a hospice, an emotional choice that Dame Helen says grounds the film in real experience.
"It was full of what hangs over the story, not in a morbid way, but we are around the bed of someone that is dying and we're all of an age where that is going to happen," said Celia Imrie in a separate conversation. Sir Ben added, "It's not a little comedy. It has some layers to it… a base note that runs through it."
Mirren agrees, pointing back to Osman's books. "That's the great success of the books, isn't it, the way Richard combines real sadness, the reality that life involves death always… but at the same time, there is this great, natural humane comedy bubbling up all the time."
The film is the beginning of what could become a franchise. Osman has already released four books, with a fifth due in the autumn, and both Mirren and Brosnan are open to returning to Coopers Chase.
For Mirren, the story is about more than just crime-solving; it's about valuing the overlooked wisdom of older people. For Brosnan, it's about stepping into something new and finding joy in unexpected places. Together, they embody the film's message: that laughter, mystery, and friendship have no age limit.
And so, as The Thursday Murder Club begins its journey on Netflix, audiences are invited not only to solve a whodunnit but to celebrate the adventure of life—even when it comes with grey hair and reading glasses.
The Thursday Murder Club is streaming on Netflix.