Quote

I'll accept being Phoebe to people for a while longer, given how much fun it was. That's totally fair.

It is impossible to watch a 'Friends' episode too many times. Phoebe is my favourite character. I used to play her songs on the guitar when I was a teenager. 'Smelly Cat' is very easy. It's only about three chords.

Good actresses can often accomplish miracles, and it is possible to be someone you've never been or will be. But in a sitcom, there's no time.

With any show, when fans come up to you, they assume you're just like your character.

But I do believe that in all my shows, I really enjoy the quirky, the eccentric characters, the ones you don't meet every day.

I firmly believe, only because I've been doing this for so long, every show takes three years. 90% of them don't get three years. It just does. It takes a long time to build a community, build a friendship with your characters. It's hard for people to grasp on and make them care about you.

I have to warn you, I'm not just some sitcom guy. I'm now an author.

I think people have a hard time thinking that I could've done a sitcom.

I try to inhabit each of the characters as fully as I can, however short-lived they are. But most of my show happens offstage.

In my work, I want to convince people that I'm that character. If they know everything about Lesley Manville - private life, all of that stuff - it doesn't help. So the kind of anonymity I enjoy is key.