Top 70 Helen Baxendale Quotes

‘Friends’ and ‘Cold Feet’ seem like a lifetime ago. That whole period is like a weird, bizarre blip or a surreal dream.

I really didn’t want to stay in Los Angeles. I was working constantly and feeling so guilty that I wasn’t at home.

In career terms it would have been preferable for me to have done ‘Friends,’ because it lifts you and just, mmmm, gives you some kind of cachet.

I wanted to have children and I wanted to be with the person I was in love with.

Everything is nerve-wracking at first. Maybe it’s getting older! I don’t think I used to be so nervous.

I’ve never done a zip wire. I’m a scaredy-cat.

I used to be terribly vain. I’d spend a lot of time pampering myself and applying make-up and hoping that I’d look nice.

It’s like I’m held up as some kind of beacon of England – or some bloody British bulldog.

It will be very exciting to watch how the industry responds to filmmakers getting closer and closer to their audiences – and they must, as for too long it has been quite impossible for filmmakers to actually get anywhere near to revenues arising from their work. Too many middlemen!

I think that happens every five years or so when ‘Friends’ moves to a different channel. I think basically everybody has seen it now. It’s so good, and timeless. Actually I don’t know if it’s timeless, I haven’t seen it for years.

After I’d been on Friends, people would whisper as I went past. I no longer had proper dialogues with people.

For me, acting is like a holiday. I spend a lot of time at home with my kids, and then every so often I go out and flex my creative muscles on stage.

Today’s culture is based on selling us a lifestyle that does not exist. It is selling us values that are worth nothing. It is plain wrong.

I certainly don’t get the opportunities I had when I was younger.

People know me but can’t quite place me – they squint at me like I might be their old school teacher or a woman they’ve seen down the local pub.

With social media there seems to be controversy at everything.

I’m getting quite into ancient barrows and the like these days.

I’ve never had my nails done – look at them!

I have no problem switching off.

Listen, I’m extremely lucky. I can’t complain at all. I’ve had a very good go at it. But there is no doubt that as a woman it gets harder as you get older. I don’t think it’s so hard for men – that’s the same in a lot of industries.

It’s less frightening to do television, theatre is very nerve-wracking, very raw.

I don’t have any regrets whatsoever because it has been my life. I’ve been very privileged, I’m lucky and I’m still alive.

Women are under-represented in every walk of life.

I don’t know if there are many misconceptions. One is that my birthday is on Valentine’s Day. It’s on 7 June.

I have to enjoy life – it is a privilege to be an actor and I love what I do, so I will act those moments and then do my best to switch off – life is too short.

It’s surprisingly easy to get teenagers to watch subtitles.

When you’re young you don’t appreciate your youth and marvel in it like you should, you find endless flaws instead.

I’m not steely ambitious.

There is this perception that TV is glamorous and it is the pinnacle of your existence – I don’t think it is.

Energy is infectious.

People latch on to characters who are rude or naughty or bad. Look at JR in ‘Dallas’ or Angie in ‘EastEnders.’ They’re the best parts, the parts people want to be like.

I really don’t feel much of a pull to go back to work. It’s a difficult one because I don’t want to end up with no career.

I’ve had my taste of huge fame and it was OK, but I’m an actress, not a celebrity.

Our after-dinner entertainment would be a little family party. We’d string up twinkling fairy lights, put on some music and dance around in the glow of the fire.

I’ve pursued every avenue open to me ever, so I don’t really understand the idea that I walked away from opportunities.

Everybody looks after you when you’re an actor, and you lose all sense of responsibility.

If you’re going to be pigeon-holed as anything as a woman, it’s good to be pigeon-holed as someone with an acid tongue who gets things done.

I love the idea of seeing a character – I mean, there’s nothing like seeing a character and having the huge detail and roundness that a character in a book can give you. It’s so much more full than a character in a script can give you, isn’t it?

I never felt sorry for the people in ‘Friends’ though. They had enormous wealth and they were very funny, creative people who gave a lot of people happiness.

I had a little glimpse of what fame holds, and I decided it held a load of nothing.

I always loved films.

I’d make all schoolchildren take ballet lessons every morning. And I’d ban advertising aimed at children.

I obviously wasn’t cool enough as a teenager.

Valentine’s Day isn’t always as much fun as many of us would like.

Good love and romance aren’t always what the hype cracks them up to be.

It’s actually a privileged existence – I get to do some work, but I can walk down the street and have an absolutely normal life, rather than existing in some strange bubble.

When I’m filming I feel guilty about never seeing the children, but when I’ve not been working for six months I begin to think: ‘Who am I?’

I want to age the way that life makes you age, because there’s beauty in autumn and winter and I think people forget that.

Fame just didn’t fit in with my life.

I’m not that much of a celebrity really so I don’t know if it makes any difference whatsoever. But if any publicity can be gained at all for a brilliant charity like Friends Of The Earth, that’s great.

I have noticed that there are fewer parts for women of a certain age. You hit a certain age, and undoubtedly there’s less opportunity. That’s not all right. Who wants to see only men on our screens?

I just knew it would be good fun playing Agatha Christie.

It was lovely going back to work; it felt like a break to be honest.

I used to try to carry the weight of my character around with me, but I just can’t do that now, it’s too hard.

I don’t know what drippy means, but it’s not very nice. To be drippy. I don’t feel like I drip much at all.

People in TV don’t want leading actresses over 40.

It’s frightening to go onto a stage, particularly in the first few days.

I like to have some time off after doing a job and spend some time with my family.

When you’re given the chance, you can’t really not go to the Caribbean, can you?

‘Cuckoo’ really is one of the best shows I’ve ever been in. I’m genuinely excited and proud to be a part of it.

People’s memories are quite short. Often people think they recognize me from down the shops or something.

People expect because it is called ‘Friends’ that everyone was great friends, but they were real professionals.

I don’t know what I’m like. I’m better acting someone further away from myself.

As a teenager I was quite conventional in the way I dressed, more so than now. I tried to be rebellious but I was really lame at it.

I don’t like conflict.

I feel I know Cape Town very well now having been there twice and for six weeks at a time.

It’s not like I’m back for bath-time and bedtime for the children. You’re back when they are asleep and you go out before they wake up. Really, that time when they are young goes all too quickly.

I look stern because I’ve got high cheekbones and a pointy nose, and a lot of my characters have been quite stubborn.

I’ve never had a facial, ever.

I met my partner, actor David Elliot, when we were both in the play ‘La Ronde’ by Arthur Schnitzler.