--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shakespeare was the thing that started me…" description: "\"Shakespeare was the thing that started me off on that train, you know, and every one of his plays. There are so many different characters, and the wond..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/andrea-riseborough-8720_fitness_shakespeare-was-the-thing-that-started-m_1928890.jpg" --- # Shakespeare was the thing that started me off on that… ![“Shakespeare was the thing that started me off on that train, you know, and every one of his plays. There are so many different characters, and the wonderful thing about being in an all-girls school was I got to play them all, you know. So I got to play Mercutio and Oberon and Malvolio - it was…” quote by Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/andrea-riseborough-8720_fitness_shakespeare-was-the-thing-that-started-m_1928890.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/andrea-riseborough-8720_fitness_shakespeare-was-the-thing-that-started-m_1928890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/andrea-riseborough-8720_fitness_shakespeare-was-the-thing-that-started-m_1928890.jpg) > “Shakespeare was the thing that started me off on that train, you know, and every one of his plays. There are so many different characters, and the wonderful thing about being in an all-girls school was I got to play them all, you know. So I got to play Mercutio and Oberon and Malvolio - it was great.” [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early exposure to Shakespeare sparked a love for diverse roles, shaping her acting career. **In simple terms:** Shakespeare inspired her to explore many characters. Key Takeaway Seek varied experiences to grow. Themes creativity learning career development Mood reflective enthusiastic Type inspirational personal growth When to use this quote - acting auditions - school drama clubs - creative workshops - career pivots Key Concepts theatre role immersion Questions to Reflect On - Which new role will you try next? - How does variety enrich your craft? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on one style can limit versatility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-characters/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Know Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-plays-3006825/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-thing-389592/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [Of course it's great to be able to extend plays and know where to go when plays break down. But plays are schemed up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-haskins/of-course-it-s-great-to-be-able-to-extend-plays-and-know-where-to-go/) [Dwayne Haskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-haskins/) > [If you're a good defensive player, you should know it's one of four or five plays coming at you, based on formation and whatnot,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-kelce/if-you-re-a-good-defensive-player-you-should-know-it-s-one-of-four-or/) [Jason Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-kelce/) > [I have a good enough IQ, not the greatest IQ obviously, to know which plays I can make and which plays I shouldn't. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-have-a-good-enough-iq-not-the-greatest-iq-obviously-to-know-which/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [A play is basically a long, formalistic polemic. You can write it without the poetry, and if you do, you may have a pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/a-play-is-basically-a-long-formalistic-polemic-you-can-write-it/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Shakespeare is absolutely big in Africa. I guess he's big everywhere. Growing up, Shakespeare was the thing. You'd learn monologues and you'd recite them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-beah/shakespeare-is-absolutely-big-in-africa-i-guess-he-s-big-everywhere/) [Ishmael Beah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-beah/) > [You would get some fantastic syntactical phenomena. You would hear people talking in Barbados in the exact melody as a minor character in Shakespeare.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/you-would-get-some-fantastic-syntactical-phenomena-you-would-hear/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [My career is chequered. Then I think I got pigeon-holed in humour; Shakespeare is not my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/my-career-is-chequered-then-i-think-i-got-pigeon-holed-in-humour/) [Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/) > [My career is chequered. Then I think I got pigeon-holed in humor; Shakespeare is not my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/my-career-is-chequered-then-i-think-i-got-pigeon-holed-in-humor/) [Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/) > [Most of my career has been spent with the RSC doing Shakespeare, and the thing you learn from Shakespeare is that his historical plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-sher/most-of-my-career-has-been-spent-with-the-rsc-doing-shakespeare-and/) [Antony Sher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-sher/) > [It is true that there are few plays of Shakespeare that I haven't done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/it-is-true-that-there-are-few-plays-of-shakespeare-that-i-haven-t-done/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [To put it one way, a collection of Shakespeare's plays is richer than a phone book that uses the same number of letters; to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-von-baeyer/to-put-it-one-way-a-collection-of-shakespeare-s-plays-is-richer-than/) [Hans Christian von Baeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-von-baeyer/) > [Doing Shakespeare once is not fair to the play. I have been in Shakespeare plays when it's not until the last two or three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/doing-shakespeare-once-is-not-fair-to-the-play-i-have-been-in/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [I can't think of anything worse than calling Shakespeare 'highbrow,' because on the one hand, it's brilliant writing. But his plays were popular. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-dalton/i-can-t-think-of-anything-worse-than-calling-shakespeare-highbrow/) [Timothy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-dalton/) > [I started out doing a lot of theater, a lot of Shakespeare, classic plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-started-out-doing-a-lot-of-theater-a-lot-of-shakespeare-classic/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) ## More by Andrea Riseborough > [I've played a mother before, but it's always been a very young child, which is closer to what I can imagine my own life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-ve-played-a-mother-before-but-it-s-always-been-a-very-young-child/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [Sometimes I can think of nothing more blissful than going to Berkeley and reading Byron for three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/sometimes-i-can-think-of-nothing-more-blissful-than-going-to-berkeley/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I can walk into meetings now and ask for equal pay, and the people will listen to me. They may not give it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-can-walk-into-meetings-now-and-ask-for-equal-pay-and-the-people/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I am quite odd-looking in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-am-quite-odd-looking-in-real-life/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [As an actor, you want to know if you're keeping a secret or telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/as-an-actor-you-want-to-know-if-you-re-keeping-a-secret-or-telling/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [Maybe I've just been incredibly fortunate, but there's a level of dedication, devotion, intensity and seriousness around me every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/maybe-i-ve-just-been-incredibly-fortunate-but-there-s-a-level-of/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [Sometimes I can receive the world and regurgitate my version of events easily and sometimes it's hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/sometimes-i-can-receive-the-world-and-regurgitate-my-version-of/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I subscribe to no religion. But I believe that in the creation of art, there can be moments of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-subscribe-to-no-religion-but-i-believe-that-in-the-creation-of-art/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I don't relate to people that look like me. I find it deeply unsatisfying to play a version of myself. It was something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-don-t-relate-to-people-that-look-like-me-i-find-it-deeply/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I really enjoy picking up the physical rhythm of somebody else, speaking with their voice. I've never done in anything in my own voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-really-enjoy-picking-up-the-physical-rhythm-of-somebody-else/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [You know those bumpers in the two lanes when you go bowling? I go out there with two of them, metaphorically, every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/you-know-those-bumpers-in-the-two-lanes-when-you-go-bowling-i-go-out/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I think, sometimes, you can just get really burnt out on something you enjoy doing and feel like the sponge is completely wrung dry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-think-sometimes-you-can-just-get-really-burnt-out-on-something-you/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [Both of my grandfathers fought in the Second World War, and my great-grandfather died at the Somme in the First World War. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/both-of-my-grandfathers-fought-in-the-second-world-war-and-my-great/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I don't read reviews, and it's not because I don't think I can learn something, I'm sure I could learn a lot. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-don-t-read-reviews-and-it-s-not-because-i-don-t-think-i-can-learn/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [I've always worked very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-ve-always-worked-very-hard/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) [Explore all 78 Andrea Riseborough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) ## More Different characters quotes > [Being of Indian heritage is a challenge - and it's a blessing as well sometimes - because being good isn't good enough. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-dhawan/being-of-indian-heritage-is-a-challenge-and-it-s-a-blessing-as-well/) [Sacha Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-dhawan/) > [You have different characters in the dressing room. 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You think about how you should stand in these particular clothes, or how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/when-you-re-shooting-you-go-to-references-in-your-mind-you-think/) [Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/) > [I have about as much control over how I look as the guy who's short and looks more like a character actor - we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armie-hammer/i-have-about-as-much-control-over-how-i-look-as-the-guy-who-s-short/) [Armie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armie-hammer/) > [Four directors through their own interpretation created four different characters. And I had to play them in a fairly short period of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iu/four-directors-through-their-own-interpretation-created-four/) [IU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iu/) > [Chocolate' is an orbit in which seven different characters keep moving from one place to another to reveal a bigger drama. It's about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-agnihotri/chocolate-is-an-orbit-in-which-seven-different-characters-keep-moving/) [Vivek Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-agnihotri/) > [I've always wanted to be an actor that explores different genres and different characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mciver/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-that-explores-different-genres-and/) [Rose McIver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mciver/) > [There are lots and lots of different films that I love, and watching different characters and how different people play them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher-lloyd/there-are-lots-and-lots-of-different-films-that-i-love-and-watching/) [Cher Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher-lloyd/) > [I couldn't function if I weren't allowed to stretch and do really different characters where I can change the whole "beingness" of that person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-travolta/i-couldn-t-function-if-i-weren-t-allowed-to-stretch-and-do-really/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-travolta/) > [One of the defining things about my career on camera is I like to play different characters. 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The trend I think that you're seeing are comic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascal/comic-book-characters-are-characters-who-wear-costumes-they-re-not/) [Amy Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascal/) [Browse all 240 Different characters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-characters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Shakespeare was the thing that started me off on that train, you know, and every one of his plays. There are so many different characters, and the wonderful thing about being in an all-girls school was I got to play them all, you know. 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