Maxine Peake Quotes

Powerful Maxine Peake for Daily Growth

About Maxine Peake

Maxine Peake is a renowned English actress, playwright, and singer, born on January 14, 1975, in Hackney, London. Raised in Manchester, Peake developed an early interest in acting, inspired by the local theater scene and her grandmother, who was a member of the Didsbury Amateur Dramatic Society. After graduating from the Manchester School of Theatre in 1997, Peake began her professional career with the Royal National Theatre before making her television debut in 2001 in "The Vice." Her breakout role came in 2004 as Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama series "Silk," for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Peake's career spans across stage, screen, and radio. Her notable stage performances include Hamlet (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester) and the title role in the National Theatre production of "Hamlet" directed by Nicholas Hytner. On television, she is known for her roles as Rosie Webster in "Coronation Street," and as the voice of Delores in the animated series "My Mad Fat Diary." In addition to her acting work, Peake has also ventured into playwriting. Her first play, "The Sketchbook," was produced by the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2015. Peake is also an accomplished singer, releasing an album titled "Tony Wilson's Dream of a Northern England" in 2019. She has been recognized for her contributions to theater and arts with numerous awards, including two Olivier Award nominations. Maxine Peake continues to be a prominent figure in British theater and television, using her platform to advocate for social justice issues and women's rights.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I think it's really important for women to have visibility and be heard."

Maxine Peake's quote emphasizes the significance of women having equal representation in all aspects of society, such as politics, media, and various professions. By being visible and audible, she underscores that women's voices and perspectives are just as valuable as men's, thereby promoting gender equality and fostering a more balanced and inclusive worldview.

"We need to challenge the status quo and create a more inclusive society."

This quote emphasizes the importance of questioning and changing the existing norms and systems in our society, aiming for a more equitable and diverse environment where everyone feels valued and included. It's a call to action, inviting us all to work towards breaking down barriers that may exclude certain groups and ensure equal opportunities for all.

"Acting is about truth, and that can come from anywhere."

This quote by Maxine Peake emphasizes that the essence of acting lies in authenticity or truthfulness, which can originate from any source. It suggests that an actor's role isn't merely to portray a character but to breathe life into it by drawing on personal experiences, emotions, and empathy. In this way, a performance becomes genuine, relatable, and engaging for the audience. Acting thus serves as a medium to express universal human truths through the lens of fictional characters.

"It's important to use your voice and stand up for what you believe in."

This quote emphasizes the personal responsibility and power that each individual possesses, to express their thoughts, beliefs, and values publicly, standing firmly behind them. It encourages action and advocacy on issues one cares about deeply, suggesting a commitment to not just holding opinions but also acting upon them for positive change.

"Art has the power to transform and heal."

This quote underscores the profound ability that art possesses in bringing about positive change, both personally and societally. Through the expression of emotions, ideas, and experiences, art can help individuals cope with their struggles and find healing. On a larger scale, it has the power to challenge prevailing norms, stimulate thought, foster empathy, and ultimately contribute to societal transformation.

'Toast of London' is a must-watch. Matt Berry's off-the-wall humour is slightly surreal and a little bit deviant. That's why I also love 'House of Fools.'

- Maxine Peake

Love, Slightly, Berry, Surreal

People think I'm clever, which is hilarious. I'm like, 'When did this happen? People used to think I couldn't string a sentence together.'

- Maxine Peake

Think, Sentence, Which, Hilarious

I love 'Splash!' and 'Take Me Out.' Not that I'd ever do 'Splash!' It's the parading on British TV in a swimming costume I couldn't handle.

- Maxine Peake

Love, British, TV, Handle

At drama school, I was told, 'Lay off the chips, or you'll never play Juliet.' Sometimes, in the stock room of the set of 'Dinnerladies,' I'd put away three or four Mars bars while waiting for a scene. Then, at 24, I lost five stone.

- Maxine Peake

Play, Chips, Away, Bars

I think you can tell a lot by someone's footwear - cowboy boots would put me off, as would a man in Ugg boots or Crocs.

- Maxine Peake

Think, Cowboy, I Think, Footwear

I look up to the older generation of men - Arthur Scargill, Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn - but my main role model has been my step-granddad Jim. He's brilliant, very political, quite eccentric.

- Maxine Peake

Been, Very, Arthur, Jim

I think people expect me to dress a bit like Veronica from 'Shameless,' in vest tops and denim skirts.

- Maxine Peake

Dress, Think, I Think, Shameless

After my mum and dad got divorced, I was entitled to free school dinners, but my mum said, 'Under no circumstances,' because she was proud.

- Maxine Peake

Circumstances, Entitled, Mum, Mum And Dad

I'm inspired by films from the early '50s, especially Jean Simmons in 'The Clouded Yellow' - and by vintage swing, psychobilly gigs, sea shanties, and English folklore.

- Maxine Peake

Yellow, Inspired, Films, Jean

My kind of work is very intense. The trouble with me is that I completely fling myself into it. I get giddy. I get terrible crushes on jobs.

- Maxine Peake

Work, Kind, Very, Crushes

I find these dramas fascinating - it's a world that many of us fortunately don't dip into. The legal system is all around us, but the majority of us don't have to go into a court, so it's a way into another world that is unusual.

- Maxine Peake

Another, Legal System, Dip, Dramas

Generally, I am losing faith in telly, as we do have good dramas but not as many as there should be.

- Maxine Peake

Faith, I Am, Should, Dramas

If I were to appear in a programme like 'Sex and the City,' I'm sure I'd be cast as the downtrodden one staying at home and having seven children while the others jet-setted around the world.

- Maxine Peake

City, Seven, Staying, Sex And The City

I'm always an advocate of 'acting is reacting,' which can be difficult.

- Maxine Peake

Difficult, Always, Which, Reacting

You want to go to your deathbed saying, 'I didn't sell out.' But it's a tough business to keep to what you believe in and get through and do well.

- Maxine Peake

Business, Want, Through, Deathbed

I have recurring dreams about losing my temper, which become quite violent. I dread to think what that says about me.

- Maxine Peake

Think, Violent, Which, Recurring

I get easily distracted and become a bit of a giddy giggler. I'm not good at taking myself seriously, and laughing at myself helps ease the pressure.

- Maxine Peake

Myself, Seriously, Ease, Giddy

I went to Salford Tech. They did a two-year performing arts course. I went there singing and dancing - I had a terrible time. I turned up in green dungarees and German power boots. I was into prog rock at the time - Gong and Hawkwind - and I was clumping around.

- Maxine Peake

Dancing, German, Turned, Two-Year

As I've got older, I've got slightly more fussy. You've got less time; you need to use it wisely.

- Maxine Peake

Need, Slightly, Less Time, Wisely

The films, the music, the telly that I like is always a little bit more on the margins.

- Maxine Peake

Always, Films, Margins, Telly

If I feel like if there's a few too many people on that path with me, then I want to jump off and find another one.

- Maxine Peake

Want, Like, Another, Too Many People

I was a tomboy. In my clubbing days, my friend Lucy Davies-Hunt - half-Iranian, looked like Yasmin Le Bon - could wear catsuits, while I was the one in the sweatshirt, jeans, and Fila boots.

- Maxine Peake

Like, Could, Looked, Boots

I used to think the store detective had followed me all the way home and would knock on the door and go, 'Hello, is this your daughter? She's got three blue lipsticks and a moisturiser from Boots in her bag.' We just used to nick crap. Not even stuff we wanted.

- Maxine Peake

Door, Bag, Knock, Boots

I've always fancied being a bit of warrior, on a horse swinging a sword around, sorting out the men... Oh yes, that sounds lovely.

- Maxine Peake

Warrior, Lovely, Always, Swinging

In my 20s, I was going round seeing agents who were patronising because I was fat and a girl, which was a double whammy. I knew what it was to feel out-of-the-loop.

- Maxine Peake

Double, Going, Which, Agents

I joined the Communist Party when I was 18. When I was 10, there was the miners' strike, and the Cold War was going on; it was quite a potent time to get involved in politics. I got involved through my grandfather, who was a member.

- Maxine Peake

Politics, Through, Communist, Cold War

As a human, if you're in a scary situation, you pretty much forget about everything else! You just try and survive.

- Maxine Peake

Survive, Pretty, About, Everything Else

I'm quite cautious in most areas of my life, but I'm always happy to gamble when it comes to acting. I'm not frightened of falling on my face.

- Maxine Peake

My Life, Falling, Always, Frightened

When I was growing up, because I was a bit overweight and boyish, I thought I wasn't attractive to the opposite sex, but I have since met lads from my school who said I just seemed unapproachable.

- Maxine Peake

Growing, Thought, Bit, Opposite Sex

I do, in a strange way, care deeply what people think.

- Maxine Peake

People, Think, Deeply, Strange Way

My favourite outfit is a giant bunny suit. I wore it in a music video for 'Are You One?' by the Chanteuse & the Crippled Claw and got to keep it.

- Maxine Peake

Got, Video, Favourite, Crippled

I get angry about the way women are forced and bullied into what the male ideal is.

- Maxine Peake

Ideal, About, Forced, Bullied

I don't have massive ambitions to be anywhere other than in this country doing good work.

- Maxine Peake

Doing, Country, Other, Doing Good

I'm really unimaginative - once I like something, I fix on it.

- Maxine Peake

Fix, Like, Once, Unimaginative

For me, politics is about passion. It doesn't matter what you know; it's your actions that count. I meet people who say they're socialists, and that's not what they carry out in their everyday life.

- Maxine Peake

Politics, About, Socialists, Everyday

I love hoovering. People go to therapists; I've got a Hoover.

- Maxine Peake

Love, Go, I Love, Hoover

When we were doing 'Criminal Justice,' they were filming 'Clash of the Titans' nearby and we kept nicking off to their catering tent and going, 'Look what they've got!'

- Maxine Peake

Doing, Tent, Going, Criminal

The women I play don't sit in the corner eating lettuce leaves and talking about what designer shoes they have.

- Maxine Peake

Play, Talking, About, Sit

I went to the Old Bailey, and I met a judge, and I was petrified, but they were like, 'Oh, you're an actor, well, great.' It was a bit like we're cut from the same cloth a little bit.

- Maxine Peake

Like, Cut, Petrified, Bailey

I think all things are political... How women are portrayed - that's a big thing for me. What is this role trying to say about women? Is this woman weak or victimised, and, if so, do we get to understand why?

- Maxine Peake

Big, Role, I Think, Portrayed

You don't want to bash viewers over the head with a blunt message or lecture them - they'd soon get bored with that.

- Maxine Peake

Want, Blunt, Over, Bored

When I graduated, I was my biggest ever: 15 stone, with a boyfriend - my first - of just 11 stone. I was 23 years old. It wasn't just affecting my career: it was a health issue as well.

- Maxine Peake

Career, Boyfriend, Issue, Stone

We take things at face value, don't we? You form an opinion about something immediately, but you ought to step back a bit. Take in the vista first.

- Maxine Peake

Back, About, Immediately, Ought

I remember when New Labour got in. I was at Salford Tech studying drama, and everyone was jumping up and down, and I was so upset, I went to a phone box and called my granddad.

- Maxine Peake

I Remember, Upset, Jumping, Up And Down

I must admit I don't usually buy a daily paper, although I will get one if there's an interview I want to read.

- Maxine Peake

Will, Buy, Read, Interview

I'd rather go down with an almighty bang than play it safe.

- Maxine Peake

Play, Rather, Almighty, Bang

It's interesting when people say, 'You always play strong women,' because as far as I'm concerned, women are strong. I think that's what women are. We have got that vulnerability, but we have got that strength. We are survivors.

- Maxine Peake

Strong, Play, I Think, Women Are

I was a tomboy. I had a pudding-bowl haircut; I wore big Doc Martens and dungarees.

- Maxine Peake

Big, Tomboy, Had, Haircut

I'm a big comfort eater, so if I'm feeling sorry for myself, I'll just stuff my face.

- Maxine Peake

Myself, Big, Feeling, Eater

Cooking, you can keep. I've not the slightest interest in it.

- Maxine Peake

Cooking, Interest, Keep, Slightest

I was told, 'Your career's made by what you don't do,' and that always stuck with me. I drive my agent mad!

- Maxine Peake

Career, Always, Agent, Stuck

I take bits and pieces from everything. But I think the Method can be very isolating, and sometimes it's more about ego than playing the character truthfully.

- Maxine Peake

Think, I Think, Very, Truthfully

Nobody's impressed back home. All my friends were going, 'Oh right, so you're doing a play up in Leeds? Another depressing one is it? Do you mind if we don't bother coming?' I love that.

- Maxine Peake

Love, Play, Doing, Depressing

I'm a big techphobe. Someone else helps me run my Twitter; I wouldn't be able to trust myself.

- Maxine Peake

Trust, Myself, Big, Helps

It's great having time to just sit back and work through things in my mind. It helps put life into perspective.

- Maxine Peake

Mind, Through, Having, Helps

Food is important in working out a character. How she eats is a window into her temperament. If I think she likes her food, I'll put on a few pounds, or lose a few if she lives on her nerves.

- Maxine Peake

Think, I Think, Lives, Pounds

I don't really engage with that world of technology, which might be to my detriment.

- Maxine Peake

World, Which, Detriment, Engage

I'm unusual in that I've worked more as I've got older.

- Maxine Peake

More, Older, Worked, Unusual

I've always had pop-star crushes. I had a huge crush on Ian Brown.

- Maxine Peake

Crush, Always, Had, Crushes

I reckoned my accent and class would count against me; I didn't see actresses as being working-class.

- Maxine Peake

Against, Working-Class, Accent

I am an actor. I love acting, and I absolutely love what I do, but I don't want it to be every waking hour.

- Maxine Peake

Love, Want, Am, Waking

People will always respond to high-class drama.

- Maxine Peake

Drama, Will, Always, Respond

There aren't that many great female roles in Shakespeare - none that I'd be desperate to play.

- Maxine Peake

Play, Desperate, Roles, Shakespeare

I care about my work, but I don't care about getting it wrong. The more you do, the more you realise nobody's going to die.

- Maxine Peake

Work, Die, Going, I Care

When I'm going to work, I often stop and wonder how I've got here. I don't mean literally, but just thinking back to when I first had the idea of being an actress, it seemed so unreal, so unlikely. People like me just didn't become actresses. Every new job I get comes as shock. It's almost as if I'm waiting to be found out.

- Maxine Peake

Waiting, Here, Almost, Wonder

A few things make a person stylish: honesty, imagination with a sprinkling of humour. I still keep an eye on trends, but I don't follow them any more.

- Maxine Peake

More, Still, Them, Trends

When I was a little girl, there was this unbelievably cool female bus driver who'd work near us. I remember thinking I'd like to be her when I grew up.

- Maxine Peake

Bus, I Remember, Like, Near

Everybody's in a situation; everybody has a story. It's about finding out why.

- Maxine Peake

Why, Everybody, About, Situation

I left the North when I was 21 to go to drama school in London, and I stayed there 12 years.

- Maxine Peake

London, Go, North, Drama School

I didn't have my first serious boyfriend until I was 23. Then after that, I went out with a guy I'd been best friends with all through drama school.

- Maxine Peake

Through, Boyfriend, Been, Drama School

Crying does not equal good acting.

- Maxine Peake

Good, Equal, Does, Crying

What is male and what is female? I don't always feel female.

- Maxine Peake

Feel, Always, Male, Female

Male? Female? It's not always relevant to some people. They are who they are - they might not fit into a specific box.

- Maxine Peake

Some, Always, Might, Female

I watch 'Take Me Out' mainly for Paddy McGuinness. When we were younger, we worked together as lifeguards at the Bolton Leisure Centre.

- Maxine Peake

Younger, Centre, Mainly, Leisure

Sometimes it feels like the feminist movement never happened.

- Maxine Peake

Never, Like, Feels, Feminist

Sometimes the darker the work, the more fun you can have.

- Maxine Peake

Work, Sometimes, More, Darker

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, when you watch yourself on the screen, you are always you.

- Maxine Peake

Watch, Always, Screen, Unfortunately

The 'Bolton News' is the best place for online comments. They say I'm an absolute idiot and a communist anarchist. I was never an anarchist; I was a communist!

- Maxine Peake

News, Communist, Comments, They Say

I get very irate with actors when they talk about how distressing it all is. I mean, it's only acting. Please.

- Maxine Peake

Please, Very, About, Distressing

Often, when I am playing difficult roles, I have a problem sleeping because I can't leave the character behind.

- Maxine Peake

Behind, Difficult, Roles, Sleeping

They always said to me that I needed to be more feminine. I think it's so wrong. Being boisterous doesn't mean you are not feminine.

- Maxine Peake

Think, Always, I Think, Boisterous

I think with 'Silk' there's something there for everyone: it's a legal drama, but it's human as well - you get to dip into the lives of the barristers and clerks.

- Maxine Peake

Think, I Think, Lives, Silk

I wasn't an obvious actress in any sense of the word.

- Maxine Peake

Sense, Actress, Any, Obvious

I know I sometimes come across as being quite dismissive about acting. But I'm not. It's like people reading their diaries in public. I don't want to talk about how I create characters. I find it self-indulgent.

- Maxine Peake

Sometimes, About, Diaries, Self-Indulgent

Pay in the acting world hasn't kept up with inflation.

- Maxine Peake

World, Pay, Up, Kept

I'm very independent, probably quite selfish, and like being able to disappear at the drop of a hat without having to explain myself - most men would find that a pain, wouldn't they?

- Maxine Peake

Drop, Explain, Very, Selfish

We still have an underclass in this country who are constantly ignored and vilified.

- Maxine Peake

Country, Ignored, Still, Vilified

The first posh meal out I had was on my 10th birthday.

- Maxine Peake

Birthday, Meal, Had, Posh

Music is a huge inspiration to my style. I first got into it when I was 10: the new wave mod scene.

- Maxine Peake

New, Wave, Got, Inspiration

I think an actor's process should be very personal and private, and sometimes I have thought, 'Oh, please, put it away now.'

- Maxine Peake

Process, Think, Very, Please

We shouldn't still be asking, 'Have you got children? Why've you not got children? Ooh, you must have children!' Bog off, d'you know what I mean?

- Maxine Peake

Asking, Got, Still, Ooh

Every job still feels like the first time.

- Maxine Peake

Like, Still, Feels, First Time

We need a wider sense of community because we're all on the same planet.

- Maxine Peake

Need, Same, Planet, Wider

If I dress up, I try to wear something that's still a bit me, but then I regret it when I see that everyone else has dressed up more and looks amazing.

- Maxine Peake

Dress, Still, Everyone Else, Dressed

I think, as a woman, you've got to make so many sacrifices.

- Maxine Peake

Woman, Think, I Think, Sacrifices

I actually used to compete at show-jumping when I was a young'un.

- Maxine Peake

Used, Actually, Compete

I'm not a fan of reality TV.

- Maxine Peake

Reality, Fan, TV, Reality TV

What's wrong with wanting the best for everybody?

- Maxine Peake

Best, Wrong, Everybody, Wanting

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.