Helen Mirren sits down for an exclusive chat with Today

Academy Award-winner Dame Helen Mirren has taken on her most challenging role yet in her latest film, bringing the life and times of Israel's first and only female prime minister, Golda Meir, to the big screen.

It's a huge undertaking and not one the 78-year-old went into lightly.

In an exclusive interview, Mirren sat down with Brooke Boney to discuss what attracted her to the powerful role and its relevance to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

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"These were not shoes to step into without consideration and research, but her grandson was very, very supportive and very encouraging of me to play this role of a person as iconic and important to Israeli history as that," Mirren said.

"Golda became prime minister at a time I had never, ever seen a female politician or head of a country, so she broke that glass ceiling and it was a very important moment for me personally, because the minute you see that happening, you realise it's possible."

Mirren remarked how powerful Golda was in leading her people, but praised how well she managed to do it, ruling without an iron fist like so many before her.

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"In many ways, she was this extraordinary mixture of a very bright woman and at the same time very feminine, but a different kind of femininity, which is equally powerful," she said.

"She was ultimately a formidable figure without sort of having to do a Mrs Thatcher all over the place, she didn't march around with the steel helmet hair, she didn't feel the need to do that and she had an absolutely fascinating personality."

Golda will be in cinemas from May 2.

See Brooke Boney's full exclusive chat with Dame Helen Mirren in the video above