Julie Delpy Quotes That Make Us Love Her

This week at Manhattan's 92Y, actress, writer, producer, director, and overall fabulous French feminist Julie Delpy talked with Annette Insdorf, director of Undergraduate Film Studies at Columbia University, about her unique career before a screening of her latest film Before Midnight . The film is the third in a series of films (the first two are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset) which Julie starred in and co-wrote with director Richard Linklater and co-star Ethan Hawke. Delpy has also written eight other screenplays, including The Countess, 2 Days in Paris, and 2 Days in New York which she also directed, starred in and produced.

Delpy is a rare breed in Hollywood in that she is doing it all (she is also an accomplished song writer), is outspoken about the state of women in film, and isn't particularly concerned with her looks. She said some amazing things at this talk on a variety of subjects. Here are a few highlights that make us love this woman.

On body image in Hollywood

Delpy proudly stated she has a "large, French bum." Insdorf noted that we see a rather ample-bodied actress in this film — a rare image on screen. "I don't have time to be anorexic. It's very time-consuming to be anorexic. You have to worry about your looks all the time and go to the gym a lot. I wouldn't have time to write movies or take care of my child. It [not being so focused on her looks] gives me more time to focus on things that are important."

On directing her own parents (in 2 Days in Paris and 2 Days in New York)

"My mother was very sweet. Directing my father was like directing King Kong."

On her character Celine in the Before Sunset trilogy

"You will be annoyed [by her], it is the goal," she said. But she felt it was important to write the character that way and "not give up the fight easily because it's always been a little more hard for women to achieve things. It is harder for them professionally. There are just more barriers. Certainly as a woman director that is true. Women just have to fight harder. So if she loses [an argument with her husband], she loses everything she fought for and everything her mother fought for. The woman character has to be more feisty, a little bit more of a bitch."

On her directing style

"I like to do a bunch of takes. I did 50 takes once. Well....41. But you know what? I got what I wanted."

On the French

"White trash is nothing compared to French white trash."

On writing fight scene dialogue for both characters in the Before Sunrise trilogy

"It is so much fun to insult yourself through someone else. I recommend it to everyone. It's almost like intense therapy."