Dame Helen Mirren has declared that tomatoes are bisexual while talking about gardening on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The gay icon was being interviewed alongside Pierce Brosnan on Monday, August 11, to promote their new film The Thursday Murder Club, which releases later this month.

Fallon asked the pair if they were into gardening, to which Mirren responded about her love of tomatoes. After the host offered to make them salsa, the 80-year-old star offered some advice.

“A tomato is a bisexual thing, you see,” she said, adding, “I looked it up very recently because I had a problem with my tomatoes. It’s bisexual, so you have to go around to each tomato, each flower, and go like this.” She then proceeded to demonstrate a finger motion, sparking laughter among the audience.

She continued, “I just want to give you a tip about growing tomatoes. You know the little flower? Well, a good way to get a tomato out of a flower is you have to tremble the flower. You have to go like this with the flower. Did you know that? It’s legitimate!”

The demonstration made Fallon visibly uncomfortable, and he said, “Stop doing that. I don’t know what’s happening. I’m not doing that at all to my tomatoes. Killing it is one thing! Doing that is something else.”

Tomatoes often self-pollinate as they contain both male and female reproductive parts, making them so-called ‘complete flowers’. Other examples of complete flowers include hibiscus, tulips and pea plants.

After recovering from his discomfort, Fallon went on to make a salsa for his guests, which was apparently “really good”!

Audiences will be able to catch Brosnan and Mirren side-by-side again in The Thursday Murder Club, landing on Netflix on August 22. The film follows four retirees who spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. However, their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn when they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands.

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