Kathy Burke

Kathy: I got to a point where I knew I had got some sort of respectability within the business and that's all I aimed for. I just wanted to be taken seriously. But I do remember thinking: 'Now I've enough respect to be able to be responsible for other people working.' Which is nice.

Kathy: I love drinking. I did stop about three years ago but now I'm back to having a tipple. My current poison is vodka but it used to be beer. I had to stop drinking it as it turns me into such a fat fucker. That's what makes me fat: the booze, not the grub. I can't drink wine or Champagne as I'm allergic to them.

(Regarding Gimme Gimme Gimme)
Kathy: There was a lot of criticism: it was one of those 'loved it' or 'hated it' things. It was one of my favourite things. Linda was loosely based on someone Jonathan knew. There was a woman at college with him who wasn't attractive but thought she was and was also a compulsive liar.

Kathy: People started to get really body-conscious when camcorders came along. They suddenly saw what they really looked like. You look in the mirror and see what you want to see but when you find out how other people see you, it's a bit of a shock.

Kathy: You can go in and out of fashion - I was in fashion for a while, but there are new people coming up all the time. I certainly don't take it for granted that I can step back into acting whenever I wish. I just haven't got the inkling to do it right now.

Kathy: When you meet people you admire there's always a chance it'll be a disappointment, so I try to avoid it now, really.

(On whether she'd ever play Waynetta Slob or Linda from Gimme Gimme Gimme again)
Kathy: Never. They're both dead. Waynetta exploded after eating too much pizza and Linda exploded after eating - probably her own crap. I'm a bit old for those characters now.

Kathy: Lots of people find film sets very exciting - and I used to - but as I've got older I find them really dull. I just spent my time sitting in caravans giving myself cancer [smoking].

Kathy: When I was younger I was a bit cheeky and didn't keep it to myself if I thought someone was pretty useless. You learn the art of diplomacy as you get older and keep your mouth shut.

(On how she chooses which directing jobs to take)
Kathy: You get sent stuff and if I feel that I'm able to do it then I'll go ahead and do it. I don't have a list of plays that I would like to do, it doesn't work like that.

Kathy: I've been doing it [acting] since I was 17 and it doesn't matter what job you're in, you're going to get a bit sick of it after 20 years. I was just very lucky that I had directing to fall back on.

(On reading her reviews)
Kathy: It's one person's opinion and a person I don't know, so I couldn't give a flying fuck what they think. That doesn't mean that they aren't necessary. Just that I don't pay any heed to them

Kathy: I get a great deal of job satisfaction from directing. I stopped acting because I was starting not to love it and I thought that would come across to the audience.

(On the proposal she received from the Professor)
Kathy: The professor wrote that his first wife wasn't very attractive either so I thought, well, he's fucked that.

Kathy: When you are called a character actress it's because you are too ugly to be called a leading lady.