"I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown"
About this Quote
The phrase "very serious roles" signals how she's been filed by the industry and by audiences - competent, controlled, emotionally precise. "But really" pivots from resume to temperament, suggesting the private energy that doesn't always make it to screen when you're cast as the composed wife, the polished professional, the elegant foil. "Big clown" isn't just "funny"; it's physicality, risk, willingness to look unglamorous, an appetite for embarrassment. It's also a strategic reclaiming of agency: not "I can do comedy too", but "comedy is where my instinct lives."
Context matters: Byrne built a reputation bouncing between indie drama and studio fare, then became a standout in broad comedies and sharp TV work where timing and humiliation are the point. The subtext reads like a gentle critique of an industry that rewards women for restraint and beauty, then acts surprised when they want to be loud, strange, or messy. In one sentence, she reframes clowning as craft, not a detour from seriousness but another way of being exact.
Quote Details
| Topic | Funny |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Byrne, Rose. (2026, January 16). I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-often-do-very-serious-roles-but-really-i-am-a-128361/
Chicago Style
Byrne, Rose. "I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-often-do-very-serious-roles-but-really-i-am-a-128361/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-often-do-very-serious-roles-but-really-i-am-a-128361/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.






