--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of directors in television have…" description: "\"A lot of directors in television have come up through the technical ranks. They have all the technical skills in the world. They're not all that famili..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/arthur-penn-42269_actor_a-lot-of-directors-in-television-have-co_583043.png" --- # A lot of directors in television have come up through the… ![“A lot of directors in television have come up through the technical ranks. They have all the technical skills in the world. They're not all that familiar with actors.” quote by Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/arthur-penn-42269_actor_a-lot-of-directors-in-television-have-co_583043.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/arthur-penn-42269_actor_a-lot-of-directors-in-television-have-co_583043.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/067/arthur-penn-42269_actor_a-lot-of-directors-in-television-have-co_583043.png) > “A lot of directors in television have come up through the technical ranks. They have all the technical skills in the world. They're not all that familiar with actors.” [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technical expertise doesn't guarantee skill in working with actors; understanding performance requires different abilities. **In simple terms:** Technical skill ≠ acting skill. Key Takeaway Develop people skills alongside technical ones. Themes leadership communication film television acting Mood reflective analytical Type advice insightful When to use this quote - casting - rehearsals - actor‑director workshops - production meetings Key Concepts collaboration empathy directing techniques Questions to Reflect On - How can directors balance technical and artistic demands? - What training improves actor interaction? A Different Perspective Technical talent may overlook emotional nuance needed for performance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Technical skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technical-skills/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I spent most of my time as an actor in television, so directors in television - it's such a machine that's already in place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/i-spent-most-of-my-time-as-an-actor-in-television-so-directors-in/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) > [What directors of television drama constantly tell you is 'Don't act it. Don't try. Don't emphasise that word'. Whereas with someone like Blackadder, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/what-directors-of-television-drama-constantly-tell-you-is-don-t-act/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [Coaching courses are still much too theoretical, and this is what you see reflected in the basic technical skills of the average player. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-cruyff/coaching-courses-are-still-much-too-theoretical-and-this-is-what-you/) [Johan Cruyff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-cruyff/) > [Without audiences, artists would be doing something else, and their creative and technical skills would fall on absent eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/without-audiences-artists-would-be-doing-something-else-and-their/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I was around computers from birth; we had one of the first Macs, which came out shortly before I was born, and my dad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/i-was-around-computers-from-birth-we-had-one-of-the-first-macs-which/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [I was not born with many technical skills. I had to improve and work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-chiellini/i-was-not-born-with-many-technical-skills-i-had-to-improve-and-work/) [Giorgio Chiellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-chiellini/) > [Learning to accept failure on multiple levels is, to my way of thinking, the key to become a world-class therapist. But that means humility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/learning-to-accept-failure-on-multiple-levels-is-to-my-way-of/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [In futsal, I picked up specific technical skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wissam-ben-yedder/in-futsal-i-picked-up-specific-technical-skills/) [Wissam Ben Yedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wissam-ben-yedder/) > [Look, you need technical skills to run a company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/look-you-need-technical-skills-to-run-a-company/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [For a performer, passion is far more important than technical skills. If a dancer's leg isn't at a perfect angle, I can see past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-nurding/for-a-performer-passion-is-far-more-important-than-technical-skills/) [Louise Nurding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-nurding/) > [There are two aspects to being competitive; one is to do with sports, and the other is about technical skills. Being able to recollect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/there-are-two-aspects-to-being-competitive-one-is-to-do-with-sports/) [Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/) > [Mastering music is more than learning technical skills. Practicing is about quality, not quantity. Some days I practice for hours; other days it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/mastering-music-is-more-than-learning-technical-skills-practicing-is/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [As a child, I played on the road against bigger players. Due to my technical skills, I've always got by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-boateng/as-a-child-i-played-on-the-road-against-bigger-players-due-to-my/) [Jerome Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-boateng/) > [I think a lot of directors over the years have cast me because they see something of another generation in me: you know, certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-think-a-lot-of-directors-over-the-years-have-cast-me-because-they/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [I learnt a lot from the directors with whom I have worked like Sudhir Mishra in 'Daas Dev,' Prawaal Raman in 'Main Aur Charles.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richa-chadha/i-learnt-a-lot-from-the-directors-with-whom-i-have-worked-like-sudhir/) [Richa Chadha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richa-chadha/) ## More by Arthur Penn > [Tap into what you don't want to say. Tap into that secret place, despite the agony, despite the personal pain, over and above the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/tap-into-what-you-don-t-want-to-say-tap-into-that-secret-place/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [I believe that a large part of the training in the regional theaters is in imitation of the British style of acting. The British…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/i-believe-that-a-large-part-of-the-training-in-the-regional-theaters/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [I think there's a quality of passion to the American actor. I'm certainly attracted to it, and I like to hope that underscoring it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/i-think-there-s-a-quality-of-passion-to-the-american-actor-i-m/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [One has a sort of spiritual obligation to go back to the source material of the literature, to make contact with one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/one-has-a-sort-of-spiritual-obligation-to-go-back-to-the-source/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [“The Queen, bless her heart, has cultivated procrastination to a degree which is really an art--when one is vexed, as I fear I often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/the-queen-bless-her-heart-has-cultivated-procrastination-to-a-degree/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [I don't storyboard. I guess it dates back to my days in live television, where there was no possibility of storyboarding and everything was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/i-don-t-storyboard-i-guess-it-dates-back-to-my-days-in-live/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > ['400 Blows' was so much like my own childhood, it really stunned me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/400-blows-was-so-much-like-my-own-childhood-it-really-stunned-me/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [I believe, and this is perhaps too nationalistic a view, that the American style of acting puts actors quickly in touch with each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/i-believe-and-this-is-perhaps-too-nationalistic-a-view-that-the/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [Good actors go to emotional places where nobody else wants to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/good-actors-go-to-emotional-places-where-nobody-else-wants-to-go/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) [Explore all 10 Arthur Penn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) ## 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": "A lot of directors in television have come up through the technical ranks. They have all the technical skills in the world. 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