Dawn French Quotes & Sayings

It's not that I don't like my mum's face; it's just that it belongs on her, not me. — Dawn French

I'd like to play a horse, many people think I already have. Either end of the horse would be fine. — Dawn French

I do think you are supposed to go through wars with your child because otherwise the tearing apart that has to happen when they go off to lead their own life would be unbearable. — Dawn French

We were a bit like bacon and eggs, where y'know, the chicken is involved, but the pig is really committed? I totally gave myself to it just as we promised, "for better or worse", and you didn't see it like that. — Dawn French

Never was there a creature more appropriately placed to be the poster girl for euthanasia. — Dawn French

Turning 50 can be difficult, sometimes dangerous, for women. The danger is in that blip that can come from the fact that you become invisible, and if you're not careful and don't embrace that, it can trip you up and you lose confidence. — Dawn French

If I had been around when Rubens was painting, I would have been revered as a fabulous model. Kate Moss? Well, she would have been the paintbrush. — Dawn French

It was my father who taught me to value myself. He told me that I was uncommonly beautiful and that I was the most precious thing in his life. — Dawn French

I am not, I repeat, NOT a lesbian - even though I'd like to be one when I grow up. — Dawn French

I'm known among my friends for saying things I probably shouldn't sometimes, but I have to get things out in the air. — Dawn French

Why would I worry about getting older - what's to moan about? — Dawn French

Theatre outings are my favourite thing to spend money on. The most influential play I saw was 'Bent,' which starred Ian McKellen. And I loved the original performance of 'The Rocky Horror Show,' with Richard O'Brien and Tim Curry at the Royal Court, when I was about 15. — Dawn French

Evolving into a middle-aged person is quite interesting if we can understand what it means. I would like to think it meant being a bit sure of what I want. — Dawn French

My theory was that if I behaved like a confident, cheerful person, eventually I would buy it myself, and become that. I always had traces of strength somewhere inside me, it wasn't fake, it was just a way of summoning my courage to the fore and not letting any creeping self-doubt hinder my adventures. This method worked then, and it works now. I tell myself that I am the sort of person who can open a one-woman play in the West End, so I do. I am the sort of person who has several companies, so I do. I am the sort of person WHO WRITES A BOOK! So I do. It's the process of having faith in the self you don't quite know you are yet, if you see what I mean. Believing that you will find the strength, the means somehow, and trusting in that, although your legs are like jelly. You can still walk on them and you will find the bones as you walk. Yes, that's it. The further I walk, the stronger I become. So unlike the real lived life, where the further you walk, the more your hips hurt. — Dawn French

She didn't know that I was dead inside, that I had ruled out the chance of joy ever again. Of that night and every other night to follow. I had fully settled into my unhappiness and wore it comfortably. So comfortably in fact, that it was barely perceptible to others. It just fitted me so well. My suit of misery hung happily on me. So happily that she assumed I could have "a lovely night" in it. The loveliness she referred to was so extremely far out of reach for me. It as far as ... the bloody moon. — Dawn French

I am a rubbish flirt. — Dawn French

I'm not a big drinking person and hardly ever have alcohol. Perhaps it's not sweet enough for my sweet tooth. — Dawn French

What was I thinking? Fact is I wasn't thinking. I didn't want to think. I wanted to feel. — Dawn French

I have turned away from the thought of writing fiction in the past through what I suppose is, actually, fear. The direct, raw invitation for the reader to come in and explore my imagination is fairly scary for me so I have busied myself with so much else. — Dawn French

I haven't really ever had to audition for anything. — Dawn French

You have to let kids live their own lives and make their mistakes, but it is difficult now because there are so many things in their lives which weren't in mine - I never had Facebook. And some of the things I see now I'm appalled by. So I'm as nosey about my daughter's life as I can be. I tell her, 'I'm all over you, whether you like it or not.' — Dawn French

I'll always be a fat girl and I am happy with that. — Dawn French

The person I have admired the most in comedy terms would be Eric Morecambe, who is my total hero. — Dawn French

If I were alive in Rubens's time, I'd be celebrated as a model. Kate Moss would be used as a paint brush. — Dawn French

The only time I did not know how to be, physically, was when I lost a lot of weight. That was the only time I didn't understand my body. — Dawn French

There is a latent fairy in all women, but look how carefully we have to secrete her in order to be taken seriously. And fairies come in all shapes, colours, sizes and types, they don't have to be fluffy. They can be demanding and furious if hey like. They do, however, have to wear a tiara. That much is compulsory. — Dawn French

I have had the unfortunate experience of having someone write an unauthorised biography of me. Half of it is lies and the other half is badly written. My feeling is that if I'm going to write my life story, I ought to have my life first. — Dawn French

I don't read novels whilst I'm writing one; I just haven't got a wide enough brain to concentrate on incoming and outgoing in the same time zone. — Dawn French

That's the weird thing about not being married - you can't get regular kissing; you can't be guaranteed of it, and that's a great shame. — Dawn French

That's the awful thing about dating. Tight underwear. We would all like to be in a big bra and pants and when you are in a secure relationship you can do that. — Dawn French

I've never disliked myself, and my weight has had nothing to do with my self-esteem. — Dawn French

We have to do a film parody for Comic Relief. We can't decide which film to parody at the moment. Any ideas welcome, but not Spiderman owing to costume being too tight. — Dawn French

When I wrote 'Dear Fatty,' I realised that sitting and writing alone is an absolute joy. — Dawn French

I'm constantly astounded by how amazing women are. And as we go through all these different stages of life as long as you share them with others and say, 'Well, this is bloody weird', you can get through everything. — Dawn French

I never do any television without chocolate. That's my motto and I live by it. Quite often I write the scripts and I make sure there are chocolate scenes. Actually I'm a bit of a chocolate tart and will eat anything. It's amazing I'm so slim. — Dawn French

Young people need their own private places which mothers don't belong to, even if they want mother all around the edge of that. — Dawn French

Two people occupying the same air. Nothing else in common. Just oxygen. — Dawn French

Divorce is not easy, but if you genuinely put your kids first, that dictates the civility you should show each other. What example are you otherwise? — Dawn French

I've chosen to stay in a jolly place for most of my life, and that is a lot of who I am. — Dawn French

I love it when somebody makes me laugh - it's what attracts me to people. — Dawn French

I think of myself now as a writer, although I wouldn't go as far as to say 'novelist' because that sounds like a Victorian person. — Dawn French

I offered her the benefit of my company this New Year's Eve, but informed her that as of midnight I should much like to insist that she refers to me as Master Oscar at all times. For that is whom I am, and I can't stress enough the importance of being Oscar. — Dawn French

My best friend is the most important girl, outside of family, to me. I met her when I went to college and we bonded immediately. I'd do anything for her at any time. We phone each other every day. — Dawn French

My approach to parenting is that everything is open - everything. I'm not very good at covert, or subtle, and I've had to learn timing. I do blunder in a bit. — Dawn French

The best way to lose weight is to put the handle of the fridge two inches from the ground. — Dawn French

The theatre is one of those muscles - if you don't exercise it, it becomes a strange and truly fearful place. — Dawn French

I keep my own personality in a cupboard under the stairs at home so that no one else can see it or nick it. — Dawn French

Other than my memory being a bit woolly and my knees being a bit creaky, I don't really think there's anything I can't do. — Dawn French

It was fantastic to work in Cornwall partly because my family live there so I was able to do lots of visiting and eat lots of cake. They live all over Cornwall and all over Devon. — Dawn French

I've always loved kissing. We all do, don't we? — Dawn French

People need to learn to take everyone as they are. — Dawn French

I've often said the most difficult things I have to say to people through humour. I can very quickly put someone in their place with it. But we all walk away unscathed because there's been some funnies around it, and I'll usually make sure that it comes back at me. — Dawn French

Funny how women are ashamed of their inner fairy whereas men are forever proudly displaying their inner cowboy or fireman — Dawn French

Why would anyone want to be called a size zero or even aspire to being a zero? I don't even understand the thinking behind it, let alone the practicalities. What is all that about? — Dawn French

Get a move on, pal, life goes on happening while you're hiding ... — Dawn French

I am a kid in the dressing-up box at heart. — Dawn French

That's the key, you know, confidence. I know for a fact that if you genuinely like your body, so can others. It doesn't really matter if it's short, tall, fat or thin, it just matters that you can find some things to like about it. Even if that means having a good laugh at the bits of it that wobble independently, occasionally, that's all right. It might take you a while to believe me on this one, lots of people don't because they seem to suffer from self-hatred that precludes them from imagining that a big woman could ever love herself because they don't. But I do. I know what I've got is a bit strange and difficult to love but those are the very aspects that I love the most! It's a bit like people. I've never been particularly attracted to the uniform of conventional beauty. I'm always a bit suspicious of people who feel compelled to conform. I personally like the adventure of difference. And what's beauty, anyway? — Dawn French

My daughter couldn't care less about me being famous. She finds it revolting and, like a lot of teenagers, is virtually allergic to me. That started at 12 and hasn't gone anywhere yet. — Dawn French

I don't know why I feel so crazy ... I feel like I'm going through a stargate. Maybe it's the diet pills. Maybe it's Buddha. — Dawn French

I want to do something where I play Judi Dench's younger sister or daughter. — Dawn French

For me, whatever age or size I've been, I have rather liked myself. The shell is not the thing at all. — Dawn French

Writing has become my great joy - I simply love it. — Dawn French

I know what it's like to struggle for cash. When I went to drama school, I worked as a chambermaid to make ends meet. — Dawn French

But tarry a while, haste is the arch-enemy of delight. — Dawn French

For the first time ever, I was alone in a different country. I was nervous about how I was going to cope in this big bustling city and so I employed a technique which still serves me well today. I imagined myself as someone who relished new exciting opportunities, who was utterly unafraid and perpetually optimistic. It was a kind of reinvention. Everyone I met was new. These people didn't know me, there was no shared history, so I could be anything or anyone I wanted to be. My theory was that if I behaved like a confident, cheerful person, eventually I would buy it myself, and become that. I always had traces of strength somewhere inside me, it wasn't fake. It was just a way of summoning my courage to the fore and not letting any creeping self-doubt hinder my adventures. This method worked then, and it works now. — Dawn French

I watch schlock telly. Like the 'Kardashians.' I love it. It's my guilty pleasure. — Dawn French

Any people whose lives are about the way they look, whether it's fat or thin, are in a dangerous area. — Dawn French

I was so blue that I felt I'd turned black inside. — Dawn French

Emos don't dance much to our music. They actually hate snow patrol and Girls allowed. How could anyone hate them? I haven't got any punk or metal stuff they would like but actually, when they'd had some cider they were dancing along happily to 'Mamma Mia' with us, no probs. Even though they're Emos, they are still like human. — Dawn French

Turn up your radio. Watch lots of telly and eat loads of choc. Feel guilty. Stay up all night. Learn everything in six hours that has taken you two years to compile. That's how I did it. — Dawn French

In actual life I am a grumpy old bag. — Dawn French