--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I always wanted to get seen as was…" description: "\"What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. When I'm writing, I want to try to be seen as a good write..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png" --- # What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor… ![“What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. When I'm writing, I want to try to be seen as a good writer. Not as somebody with a particular idea to sell, or something like that.” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png) > “What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. When I'm writing, I want to try to be seen as a good writer. Not as somebody with a particular idea to sell, or something like that.” [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An actor wants to be seen as a good performer, not just a vehicle for ideas. **In simple terms:** Actors seek recognition for skill, not just message. Key Takeaway Focus on craft over agenda. Themes artistry identity authenticity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type creative philosophical When to use this quote - theatre auditions - film casting - writing workshops Key Concepts performance theory creative expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal vision with audience expectations? - What defines a 'good' performer for you? A Different Perspective Audiences may prioritize message over technique. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-doing/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-acting-310176/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-actor/) [Good writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writer/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. When I'm writing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was-as-a-good-actor-when-it-was-2/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I'll never be a good writer, and no chance of being a good actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-vaughn/i-ll-never-be-a-good-writer-and-no-chance-of-being-a-good-actor/) [Matthew Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-vaughn/) > [Remember that you are but an actor, acting whatever part the Master has ordained. It may be short or it may be long. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/remember-that-you-are-but-an-actor-acting-whatever-part-the-master/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [My father is a great actor, but I am not into acting. Instead, I took to film direction, which is my passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-r-dhanush/my-father-is-a-great-actor-but-i-am-not-into-acting-instead-i-took-to/) [Aishwarya R. Dhanush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-r-dhanush/) > [What's important about an actor is his acting, not his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-price/what-s-important-about-an-actor-is-his-acting-not-his-life/) [Vincent Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-price/) > [Sigmund Freud said we act out our own dreams, but if you are only an actor you are not acting out your own dream.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/sigmund-freud-said-we-act-out-our-own-dreams-but-if-you-are-only-an/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [The Irish Catholic side was married to the life of an actor and I found out acting could be a form of prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/the-irish-catholic-side-was-married-to-the-life-of-an-actor-and-i/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [I guess I was a child actor. 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So I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-centineo/i-act-but-i-m-not-necessarily-an-actor-acting-is-just-the-first-thing/) [Noah Centineo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-centineo/) > [I mean, I'm an actor when I'm acting, and the rest of the time, I'm just a guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/i-mean-i-m-an-actor-when-i-m-acting-and-the-rest-of-the-time-i-m-just/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) > [I don't know how to play myself. I'm not interested enough in myself. That's just not how I was educated. That's not how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stoll/i-don-t-know-how-to-play-myself-i-m-not-interested-enough-in-myself/) [Corey Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stoll/) > [I still consider myself a young actor, I'm 34; I still view it as the beginning of my career. You can get infatuated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sarsgaard/i-still-consider-myself-a-young-actor-i-m-34-i-still-view-it-as-the/) [Peter Sarsgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sarsgaard/) > [For so many years, I've been an actor acting in other people's movies, and in 'Unstoppable,' I'm producing it, and I have an opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-cameron/for-so-many-years-i-ve-been-an-actor-acting-in-other-people-s-movies/) [Kirk Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-cameron/) ## More by Alan Alda > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. 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You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. 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Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. 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