--- title: Helen Mirren Plays With Adorable Puppies for AARP description: Helen Mirren might be the object of James Marsden's affections, but she's got a soft spot for cuties of the four-legged and furry variety. canonical: https://time.com/4590458/watching-helen-mirren-play-with-adorable-puppies-is-the-only-thing-you-need-to-watch-today/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-05T20:59:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:39:10.309Z og:title: Watch Helen Mirren Play With Adorable Puppies og:description: A dame's best friend og:url: https://time.com/4590458/watching-helen-mirren-play-with-adorable-puppies-is-the-only-thing-you-need-to-watch-today/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc41f45de65e59adc/6988b0aabc6cfc04d23df7fc/helen-mirren-puppies-aarp.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: "Pirelli Calendar 2017 by Peter Lindberg" : Photocall At La Cite Du Cinema In Saint Denis, near Paris og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch Helen Mirren Play With Adorable Puppies twitter:description: A dame's best friend twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc41f45de65e59adc/6988b0aabc6cfc04d23df7fc/helen-mirren-puppies-aarp.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Helen Mirren Playing With Adorable Puppies Is the Only Thing You Need to Watch Today  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 5, 2016 8:59 PM UTC  Helen Mirren attends the 2016 Pirelli Calendar unveiling gala at La Cite Du Cinema on November 29, 2016 in Saint-Denis, France. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage) Helen Mirren attends the 2016 Pirelli Calendar unveiling gala at La Cite Du Cinema on November 29, 2016 in Saint-Denis, France. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)Taylor Hill—WireImage  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 5, 2016 8:59 PM UTC [Self-proclaimed “Nasty Woman” Helen Mirren](http://time.com/4545228/helen-mirren-nasty-women/) might be the [unabashed object of James Marsden’s affections](http://time.com/4583402/james-marsden-helen-mirren-crush/), but she’s got a soft spot for some other cuties — specifically those of the four-legged and furry variety. During a cover photo shoot for the _AARP_ _The Magazine_, [_The Queen_ actress](http://motto.time.com/4584720/helen-mirren-embraces-age/) was surprised by a passel of adorable puppies who took over the set. Mirren immediately paused shooting to play with the dogs and to wax eloquently about their merits. In fact, when it comes to dispensing dogmas about the pups, the Dame was a veritable guru, dispensing gems of wisdom like: “A barking dog is very useful, a good bark is a very useful thing,” and quipping that what she loved most about dogs was their “spirituality.” Watch the full video below. 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