--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always felt like a successful actor…" description: "\"I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.\" — Ann Dowd" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg" --- # I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job. ![“I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.” quote by Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg) > “I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.” [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success felt tied to employment, equating work with identity and validation. **In simple terms:** Work gave her a sense of success. Key Takeaway Recognize self-worth beyond job titles. Themes identity career self-esteem Mood reflective thoughtful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - job interview - career transition - self-reflection Key Concepts validation role theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you define success beyond work? - What non‑career achievements bring you pride? A Different Perspective Success can be fleeting; external validation is unstable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-got-1487894/) [Felt Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-like/) [Like Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-successful-1398939/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-actor-334277/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [But the more successful I became as an actor, the less control I had. I became more of a puppet, really. It certainly felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/but-the-more-successful-i-became-as-an-actor-the-less-control-i-had-i/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [I think I discovered I wanted to be an actor when I got the first pay cheque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-think-i-discovered-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-when-i-got-the-first-pay/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [What drew me into being an actor was that I never got cast in the school plays - and it used to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/what-drew-me-into-being-an-actor-was-that-i-never-got-cast-in-the/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [I am a very blessed actor because I have always got the chance to portray various characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manini-mishra/i-am-a-very-blessed-actor-because-i-have-always-got-the-chance-to/) [Manini Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manini-mishra/) > [Before 'Sarkar,' I used to introduce myself as Kay Kay, the actor and then that got reduced to just Kay Kay as people realised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/before-sarkar-i-used-to-introduce-myself-as-kay-kay-the-actor-and/) [Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/) > [I wanted to be an actor ever since I got on stage for the first time, aged 13. Before that, I thought I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-ever-since-i-got-on-stage-for-the-first-time/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [An actor's got a serious duty to perform. God's given him the gift to interpret his creatures. He has to do that honestly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saeed-jaffrey/an-actor-s-got-a-serious-duty-to-perform-god-s-given-him-the-gift-to/) [Saeed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saeed-jaffrey/) > [I hung around New York and did a little stock-company stuff. I wasn't really sure at that time if I even wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bronson/i-hung-around-new-york-and-did-a-little-stock-company-stuff-i-wasn-t/) [Charles Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bronson/) > [I never wanted to be an actor. I got stuck in it and kind of liked what I was doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-garner/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-actor-i-got-stuck-in-it-and-kind-of-liked/) [James Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-garner/) > [I made my living as a theater actor before I got my record deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lari-white/i-made-my-living-as-a-theater-actor-before-i-got-my-record-deal/) [Lari White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lari-white/) > [I went to a masterclass with Jonathan Pryce who said that a successful actor is not a famous actor, it's an actor who acts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bateman/i-went-to-a-masterclass-with-jonathan-pryce-who-said-that-a/) [Tom Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bateman/) > [Success as a woman has changed me. That's what I feel is the first thing. When I feel like a successful woman as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/success-as-a-woman-has-changed-me-that-s-what-i-feel-is-the-first/) [Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/) > [Like all successful politicians I married above myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/like-all-successful-politicians-i-married-above-myself/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I grew up in a generation where I really had no one to admire and say, 'Oh, that looks like me and she's successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-bidot/i-grew-up-in-a-generation-where-i-really-had-no-one-to-admire-and-say/) [Denise Bidot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-bidot/) > [I would like to be as successful as Ian Botham was, but if I'm doing anything, I'm doing it as myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/i-would-like-to-be-as-successful-as-ian-botham-was-but-if-i-m-doing/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) ## More by Ann Dowd > [The great thing about an independent film is that you're too busy working, and you're too busy hoping to God to get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-great-thing-about-an-independent-film-is-that-you-re-too-busy/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The day after Trump was elected, I happened to be home in New York. I went to bed for the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-day-after-trump-was-elected-i-happened-to-be-home-in-new-york-i/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [It's a question of dropping the armor and getting up and doing the work you want to do. And film at first is frightening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-question-of-dropping-the-armor-and-getting-up-and-doing-the/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [When I won the Emmy, the profound sense of gratitude when my name was said I cannot express enough. It was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/when-i-won-the-emmy-the-profound-sense-of-gratitude-when-my-name-was/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [It's a funny thing about being raised Catholic and then going to Catholic schools with nuns - the cliche about the mean nun was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-funny-thing-about-being-raised-catholic-and-then-going-to/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Wherever the career wasn't going the way I wanted it to, I would experience those disappointments, and I would put them somewhere where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/wherever-the-career-wasn-t-going-the-way-i-wanted-it-to-i-would/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [When I was pregnant with my first child, I was 35 years old, and I was working in a pet shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/when-i-was-pregnant-with-my-first-child-i-was-35-years-old-and-i-was/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Forgiveness, in some cases, is a flipping miracle in the sense that you're fighting, and suddenly something happens. It's a kind of grace. Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/forgiveness-in-some-cases-is-a-flipping-miracle-in-the-sense-that-you/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [I guess getting older has its benefits, one of them being perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-guess-getting-older-has-its-benefits-one-of-them-being-perspective/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The Leftovers was an absolutely extraordinary experience. After the first season of learning to work with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-leftovers-was-an-absolutely-extraordinary-experience-after-the/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [In general, between an actor and a character, there needs to be a falling in love, if you will - which I'm saying in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/in-general-between-an-actor-and-a-character-there-needs-to-be-a/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [My parents were strict but loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/my-parents-were-strict-but-loving/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [I look at all these wonderful actors who are out of work, and I don't know what accounts for my good fortune, but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-look-at-all-these-wonderful-actors-who-are-out-of-work-and-i-don-t/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The first 10 years of my education were spent at a Catholic school in Springfield, Mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-first-10-years-of-my-education-were-spent-at-a-catholic-school-in/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [The lovely thing is that now being offered things is just a blast. In the beginning, I'd be offered something and be like, "What?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-lovely-thing-is-that-now-being-offered-things-is-just-a-blast-in/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) [Explore all 48 Ann Dowd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Dowd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-when-i-got-a-job/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-when-i-got-a-job/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f3/ann-dowd-14124_actor_i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-wh_3184992.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always felt like a successful actor when I got a job.” — Ann Dowd", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ann Dowd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always felt like a successful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-when-i-got-a-job/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-always-felt-like-a-successful-actor-when-i-got-a-job/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```