Because I was a shy and awkward child, I used humour to deflect attention. It was a controlling mechanism. Because I could use it to control my image. Catherine Tate More Quotes by Catherine Tate More Quotes From Catherine Tate If you want more people to come to the theatre, don't put the prices at £50. You have to make theatre inclusive, and at the moment the prices are exclusive. Putting TV stars in plays just to get people in is wrong. You have to have the right people in the right parts. Stunt casting and being gimmicky does the theatre a great disservice. You have to lure people by getting them excited about a theatrical experience. Catherine Tate stars play people At my core, the glass isn't half-empty, it's not even what I ordered in the first place. Catherine Tate glasses half firsts I'm not frightened of a bit of silence. Catherine Tate frightened bits silence My advice to you is please don't ever sit in your room and lock yourself away because you don't think you're good enough. Catherine Tate locks advice thinking I will absolutely say that whatever job I was asked to do, whatever schedule I was asked to work, it is never going to be as hard as looking after a child. Catherine Tate schedules jobs children I've realised I need a gnawing, nagging, anxious doubt when I wake at 4 A.M. Catherine Tate nagging doubt needs By a lot of peoples standards, I lived a very privileged life. I never wanted for attention, I never wanted for material things. In some ways, I was probably spoiled because I never had to share. And I was doted on. Catherine Tate spoiled attention way I realised that if you get yourself labeled as the funny one, people don't look any further. I've used that as I've got older. It's controlling: I decide what part of my personality you're seeing. I don't want you to look at me, I really don't. I don't want you to comment on my clothes, my hair or the way I look. Catherine Tate clothes hair people When I realised I had a facility for humour, I latched on to it, and it gave me confidence and I built my personality around it. So I subconsciously made myself become the funny one so that would be my label rather than the ginger one or the red-faced one. Catherine Tate red personality would-be I'm naturally quite lazy, and I actually think I'm lax about my career. None of my work defines who I am. Catherine Tate who-i-am careers thinking I'm an incredibly negative person, so any form of success is only ever going to be a relief to me and set my default position back to neutral. Catherine Tate default relief negative Although I was a shy child, I was also a bit flamboyant. Catherine Tate flamboyant shy children I used to go red when anybody spoke to me. It's awful because you absolutely cannot control it. If you are a child that blushes, or is shy, the one thing you want in the world is to be the child who comes in and says, 'Hi,' to everyone and goes up and makes friends. Catherine Tate me you red world How nice it would be to breeze through life and just brush things off. I never read reviews because I hate to lose more than I like to win; I experience negative emotions far greater than positive ones. Catherine Tate experience hate positive life Any degree of success or achievement for me is only ever a relief. My version of getting carried away is: 'Mmm, that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.' Catherine Tate thought me achievement success I went from an unemployed actor's life to doing stand-up comedy, and that was fortuitous. It's not the usual way the crow flies, going from being in a TV sketch show to playing one of Shakespeare's finest characters, but, hey, that's the way it has happened. Catherine Tate sketch comedy life way It's never been a point of reference to look to a man. It's not always a good thing, I suppose, but I think independence is always preferable to dependence. Catherine Tate good look think man That's the poisoned chalice: when you're shy, people assume you're arrogant. Catherine Tate you arrogant shy people I tried four times to get into the Central School of Speech and Drama before I got accepted. I started when I was 17, which was too young, in retrospect, and finally went when I was 21. I just kept plugging away. Determined? Yeah, I think I was. Catherine Tate think speech drama school I don't know why, but people tend to look at stand-ups and think they can act, which actually isn't the case. But never mind. I thought: if that's the area where they're looking, then that's the area where I'll put myself - even as a means to an end. And it was. Catherine Tate myself look mind people