HELEN MIRREN - MIRREN STARS IN HUSBAND'S FILM

MIRREN STARS IN HUSBAND'S FILM

Dame Helen Mirren is to work with her husband, director Taylor Hackford, for the first time in more than 20 years.

The Oscar-winning actress will star opposite Goodfellas star Joe Pesci in the upcoming movie Love Ranch, a tale of Nevada's first legal brothel.

The Queen actress will begin filming the movie in New Mexico in January, reports Variety.

Hackford, last in the director's chair for the critically-acclaimed biopic Ray, told the trade newspaper that Dame Helen had to be coaxed into the role.

"I've developed this project for a long time, and one of the things that excited me most was the chance to work again with my wife," he said. "I had to beg; she's a very busy girl. We'd wanted to work together for some time, but she wouldn't agree unless it was a great role, and this is a great role."

While Mirren currently has four movies in the pipeline – including action sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets and the cinema adaptation of BBC drama State of Play – Pesci has not starred in a movie since 1999's Lethal Weapon 4.

Hackford explained: "Joe didn't have any desire to work, but he was the first person I had in mind to play the husband, this former cab driver who dreamed of making prostitution legal and carved out a tiny county and convinced the local politicians,"

He added: "He's playing the godfather of legalized prostitution, and it convinced Joe to jump back into the fire."

Mirren and Hackford last worked together on 1985's White Nights.