For years, she believed being polite meant putting up with things, not making a fuss, and swallowing the replies she really wanted to say out loud. Over time, Helen Mirren understood how much it had cost her.
The actress said that phrase in 2015, while reflecting on what she wished she had known when she was young. Years later, she expanded on the same idea and acknowledged that she had spent too much time trying to be nice, go along with things, and avoid hurting other people’s feelings, even when faced with behavior that made her feel uncomfortable.
Mirren said that when she was young, she came to regard situations with men as normal that she would handle differently today. She even admitted that, at times, she ended up questioning herself instead of asking why she had to put up with them.
That’s why, behind her famous “fuck off” was more than just a provocative phrase: it was the wish that she had learned sooner to set boundaries, stand up for herself, and stop feeling responsible for other people’s discomfort.