Quotes by Emma Thompson

I ask Laurie if its possible to get trained fish. Lindsay says this is how we know Ive never produced a movie.

The fire alarm went off. Fire engines came racing; we all rushed out on the gravel drive, everyone thinking it was us. In fact, one of the elderly residents of Saltram had left a pan on the oven in her flat. Apparently this happens all the time. The tenant in question is appearing as an extra -- playing one of the cooks.

Kissing Hugh was lovely. Glad I invented it. Cant rely on Austen for a snog, thats for sure.

Paparazzi arrived for Hugh [Grant]. We had to stand under a tree and smile for them.Photographer: Hugh, could you look less -- um --Hugh: Pained?

Jane reminds us that God is in his heaven, the monarch on his throne and the pelvis firmly beneath the ribcage. Apparently rock and roll liberated the pelvis and it hasnt been the same since.

I seem finally to have stopped worrying about Elinor, and age. She seems now to be perfectly normal -- about twenty-five, a witty control freak. I like her but I can see how she would drive you mad. Shes just the sort of person youd want to get drunk, just to make her giggling and silly.

Weve hired the calmest babies in the world to play the hysterical Thomas. One did finally start to cry but stopped every time Chris [Newman (assistant director)] yelled Action. ... Babies smiled all afternoon. Buddhist babies. They didnt cry once. We, however, were all in tears by 5 p.m.

(On period costume posture coaching:)We all stand about like parboiled spaghetti being straightened out.

Our first point of discussion is the hunt. (...) My idea is to start the film with an image of the vixen locked out of her lair which has been plugged up. Her terror as shes pursued across the country. This is a big deal. It means training a fox from birth or dressing up a dog to look like a fox. Or hiring David Attenbrorough, who probably knows a few foxes well enough to ask a favour.

Shooting Willoughby carrying Marianne up the path. They did it four times. Faster, said Ang [Lee]. They do it twice more. Dont pant so much, said Ang. Greg [Wise (playing Willoughby)], to his great credit, didnt scream.

I place a high moral value on the way people behave. I find it repellent to have a lot and to behave with anything other than courtesy in the old sense of the word-politeness of the heart a gentleness of the spirit.

Indeed - judicious, consistent parenting is a dream of mine. No judgements, learning space and listening carefully are my goals.

Any problem, big or small, within a family, always seems to start with bad communication. Someone isnt listening.

We need men and women to sit down and talk to each other about sex honestly and openly. That would help us fight Aids so immediately. But our lack of communication is hugely problematic.

And its absolutely true that male sexual behaviour and female responses to male demands change a lot when they start communicating - and the levels of the communication that Ive seen on the ground in very, very poor areas are so high and I think why dont we have that here?

Ive a problem with the word charity because I think that NGOs, as I prefer calling them, really do take the work of moral and social responsibilities that ought to be taken on by governments.

I dont mean being famous is a perk, because one knows that its not necessarily a perk, but there are certain perks to being well-known and respected in ones field. Public perks. Like, I dont know, general friendliness and willingness to please, just to point out two.

If youve got to my age, youve probably had your heart broken many times. So its not that difficult to unpack a bit of grief from some little corner of your heart and cry over it.

It is remarkable how many misconceptions there are here about life in the developing world and I think that that knowledge gap has done a lot to contribute to the imbalance quite frankly.

Weve got people looking at our seamy side and our sad side a lot of the time because thats easier. Its much more difficult to make a film about happiness with lots of jokes in it.