Helen Mirren had to deal with sexism throughout her career in the film industry, said Elaine Lipworth in The Daily Mail (U.K.). “The ’60s and ’70s were pretty ghastly,” she says. “And into the ’80s, as an actress, you’d [often] be the only female on set. Otherwise it was completely male, and a particular kind of testosteroney male that was hard to deal with.” Her male colleagues frequently made lewd comments about her breasts. So did male members of the media. When she appeared on a BBC talk show in 1975, the host introduced her as “sluttishly erotic” before inquiring whether “what could be best described as your equipment” stopped her from being considered a serious actress. “[Women] didn’t complain,” sighs Mirren, 68. “You just had to have a sense of humor about it, it was your job.” Looking back, she wishes she’d been more assertive. “If I’d had children and had a girl, the first words I would have taught her would have been ‘f--- off.’ It’s quite valuable to have the courage and the confidence to say, ‘No, f--- off, leave me alone, thank you very much.’” She pauses and laughs. “You see, I couldn’t help saying, ‘Thank you very much.’ I just couldn’t help myself.”
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