Sally Field Reveals ‘The Whole Time’ Line in Mrs. Doubtfire Was Improvised

Sally Field has revealed that one of her most memorable lines in the 1993 comedy Mrs. Doubtfire was improvised.

In the film, Field plays Miranda, who discovers that the seemingly helpful Mrs. Doubtfire is actually her estranged ex-husband, Daniel, played by Robin Williams. During the reveal, Miranda repeatedly says, “The whole time,” becoming increasingly frantic.

Field told The Hollywood Reporter that the line was originally meant to be delivered calmly. Instead, she improvised the emotional reaction while filming the restaurant scene, which took several days.

Field said her close working relationship with Williams helped make such improvisation possible. “Robin and I had created a relationship, a world where we improvised a lot,” she said.

She also explained that she and Williams wanted Miranda to avoid becoming the villain of the story. They believed the divorce did not need a bad guy and wanted Miranda to be seen as a hurt but responsible parent.

Field said the filmmakers expected the movie to succeed, but few anticipated how popular it would become. Mrs. Doubtfire went on to become one of 1993’s highest-grossing films and remains a popular comedy decades later.