It’s tough out there, and every actor and aspiring actor can do with some inspiration now and then. The most important thing to remember is that it’s a shared experience. Almost every famous actor wasn’t just “discovered.” They worked hard to reach the pinnacle of their profession, and they had highs and lows just like you do.
Use these inspiring acting quotes to let the light shine in. From auditioning terrors to facing day-to-day challenges, we hope these wise words about acting inspire you as much as they inspire us.
Quotes on Auditioning
Big audition coming up? You may be terrified about being judged, but according to Michael Mosley, you should see it as something akin to making soup:
“There’s no enemy in the auditioning process. Everybody wants you to be the right person when you walk into the room. We’re all just trying to make a soup here, and they’re trying to find the right ingredients for the soup.”
Erica Schroeder is among the actors who advise you to just relax and enjoy yourself fearlessly: “Think of every audition as a chance to perform and you will have fun doing it,” she says.
You may be surprised by who advises you to take your chances while knowing they may be on the slim side. “Auditions are like a gamble. Most likely, you won’t get the part, but if you don’t go, you’ll never know if you could’ve got it,” says Robert De Niro.
George Clooney advises giving your mojo a bit of a boost before you step out. After all, nobody is at their best as a quivering wreck. “I had to stop going to auditions thinking ‘Oh, I hope they like me.’ I had to go in thinking I was the answer to their problem.”
And yes, preparation is still important. As Paula Abdul observes: “When you go to meetings or auditions and you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”
Quotes About Overcoming Challenges
Actors face a unique set of challenges. There’s so much competition out there, their finances are often more down than up, and every rejection feels deeply personal. Draw strength from these quotes for actors by actors.
Competition
Michael Shurtleff, casting director and author of the must-read book “Audition,” is on record as saying competition should be a driving force rather than a discouragement: “The good actor is one who competes willingly, who enjoys competing. An actor must compete or die. Peacefulness and the avoidance of trouble won’t help in his acting. It is just the opposite he must seek.”
Financial Challenges
Along with the emotional highs and lows of being an actor, the financial challenges can be daunting, especially as you begin your career. Famous actors advise hanging in there and working hard to overcome the challenges. As Michael Caine says: “Be like a duck: calm on the surface but always paddling like the dickens underneath.”
Rejection and Criticism
Failing to win that role you wanted so much, bad reviews in the press, nasty remarks – it takes a thick skin to be a successful actor. These quotes on dealing with criticism or rejection will help you keep your chin up.
Daniel Craig is stoic: “You get used to rejection and don’t take it personally.” Now that’s a hard act to follow!
Emma Roberts says the image of being successful is just that. Failure and rejection go with the territory when you’re an actor. “I’ve had a lot of failures as well as rejection. As an actor, it’s mostly about rejection, but people think it’s mostly success because they only see your successes.”
We love Sylvester Stallone’s fighting advice: “I take rejection as someone blowing a bugle in my ear to wake me up and get going, rather than retreat.”
Acting Quotes From Stanislavski
Finally, some quotes from Konstantin Stanislavski, a man who made a massive contribution to believable acting and has continued to inspire actors across the decades. Let’s hear about our art from the maestro himself.
Don’t wait for good things to happen. Make it happen! “If you are looking for something, don’t go sit on the seashore and expect it to come and find you; you must search, search, search with all the stubbornness in you!”
Props aren’t important. Imagination is your superpower. “You can kill the King without a sword, and you can light the fire without a match. What needs to burn is your imagination.”
Be creative. Break with tradition, and find your own way of doing things. “Create your own method. Don’t depend slavishly on mine. Make up something that will work for you! But keep breaking traditions, I beg you.”
Every role is important. Take each one on with all your might. “There are no small parts, only small actors.”
And what may be one of the most inspiring quotes about acting yet: “Don’t spend your time chasing after an inspiration that once chanced your way. It is as unrecoverable as yesterday, as the joys of childhood, as first love. Bend your efforts to creating a new and fresh inspiration for today. There is no reason to suppose that it will be less good than yesterday’s. It may not be as brilliant. But you have the advantage of possessing it today.”
“Between Roles?” Put Your Talents to Work With Us
Here’s a quote that will resonate with many of us. It comes from multi-award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman: “Being unemployed is not good for an actor. No, it isn’t, no matter how unsuccessful you are. Because you always remember getting fired from all the restaurants. You remember that stuff very, very strongly.”
It’s something many actors experience. We understand that we need to earn a living while studying, auditioning, building a career, or between roles, but employers struggle with our need for flexibility. RSVP changes that.
Our entire crew consists of actors, and we all have ambitions, dreams, and aspirations that do not involve a nine-to-five job. Will we sigh and roll our eyes when you get that casting call or your show goes on tour? We will not! Instead, we will value your talents, putting them to work as you represent brands as their ideal representatives.
Let’s work together in a supportive and, above all, flexible environment where there’s room for you to chase your dreams. Visit our careers page to find out more.