---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But then there is the one who seems to…"
description: "\"But then there is the one who seems to have a hard time separating the actor's work from reality.\" — Audrey Meadows"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg"
---

#  But then there is the one who seems to have a hard time…

![“But then there is the one who seems to have a hard time separating the actor's work from reality.” quote by Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg)

> “But then there is the one who seems to have a hard time separating the actor's work from reality.”

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Separating an actor's performance from reality is difficult for some people.

**In simple terms:** People struggle to separate performance from reality.

Key Takeaway

Distinguish art from life.

Themes

art performance reality perception

Mood

curious analytical

Type

cultural psychological

When to use this quote

- theater
- film
- news consumption

Key Concepts

media studies psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we merge actors with roles?
- What helps maintain separation?

A Different Perspective

Some may conflate character with creator.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Hard times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I had a hard time treating my field as if it's horse racing, putting actors in competition against each other. I see how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-had-a-hard-time-treating-my-field-as-if-it-s-horse-racing-putting/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [If you're a leading actor you don't work with another actor. You work with a lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-you-re-a-leading-actor-you-don-t-work-with-another-actor-you-work/)

[Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/)

> [The actor has to develop his body. The actor has to work on his voice. But the most important thing the actor has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-adler/the-actor-has-to-develop-his-body-the-actor-has-to-work-on-his-voice/)

[Stella Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-adler/)

> [I was a little-known political consultant until Bill Clinton made me. When he came upon hard times, I felt it my duty - whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-was-a-little-known-political-consultant-until-bill-clinton-made-me/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [Tom Stafford was an odd character, you know - a brilliant guy. He looked weird and I think he took a really defensive attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-fritts/tom-stafford-was-an-odd-character-you-know-a-brilliant-guy-he-looked/)

[Donnie Fritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-fritts/)

> [I was having such a hard time when I made Sylvia. I gave everything I had for that role. It's one or two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-was-having-such-a-hard-time-when-i-made-sylvia-i-gave-everything-i/)

[Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/)

> [In love, the hard times will surely call, and no lover is without their flaw. But you must have rain to see the rainbows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-love-the-hard-times-will-surely-call-and-no-lover-is-without-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I do talk about hard times, but I also try to bring out the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mark/i-do-talk-about-hard-times-but-i-also-try-to-bring-out-the-light/)

[Amber Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mark/)

> [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [I've seen every one, from Motley Crue to John Denver, with tears running down my face. I had no idea everyone had such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-ve-seen-every-one-from-motley-crue-to-john-denver-with-tears/)

[Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/)

> [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mero/i-have-no-regrets-in-my-life-i-think-that-everything-happens-to-you/)

[Rita Mero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mero/)

> [Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/hard-times-may-test-me-they-cannot-destroy-me/)

[T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

## More by Audrey Meadows

> [A bedroom requires a bed. Everything else was extravagance. Well, he had a bed all right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/a-bedroom-requires-a-bed-everything-else-was-extravagance-well-he-had/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Cary Grant, said, 'I heard you were on the lot and I just had to meet you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/cary-grant-said-i-heard-you-were-on-the-lot-and-i-just-had-to-meet-you/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [What to do? We yanked the dress up over her lovely attributes and with the addition of a scarf, the problem was solved. Sorry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/what-to-do-we-yanked-the-dress-up-over-her-lovely-attributes-and-with/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Frank Marth also played many characters with us, and like George Petrie, he was worth his weight in gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/frank-marth-also-played-many-characters-with-us-and-like-george/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [The only stage direction Jackie ever gave him, George said was: 'If you want to stay in the picture, stay close to me.' The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/the-only-stage-direction-jackie-ever-gave-him-george-said-was-if-you/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [If Terri was upset about how silly she would look, her mother was completely undone. Seems she wanted Terri in her full natural bloom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/if-terri-was-upset-about-how-silly-she-would-look-her-mother-was/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Jackie considered his resurrection, the world's best return performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/jackie-considered-his-resurrection-the-world-s-best-return-performance/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Toots said to me, 'I gotta hand it to him, thought, when he got into the big money, he came by and handed me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/toots-said-to-me-i-gotta-hand-it-to-him-thought-when-he-got-into-the/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Later, I made a movie with him, 'That Touch of Mink,' and we became good friends but any woman's initial meeting with Cary is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/later-i-made-a-movie-with-him-that-touch-of-mink-and-we-became-good/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [When Jackie got his big contract at CBS and was putting together what turned out to be almost a stock company of players, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/when-jackie-got-his-big-contract-at-cbs-and-was-putting-together-what/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Terri and her mother arrived. She was obviously a dedicated stage mother because she was loaded down with camera equipment, looking like a Japanese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/terri-and-her-mother-arrived-she-was-obviously-a-dedicated-stage/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [They weren't impatient for the boys to turn into cartoons again. They awarded sympathy, gave compassion. Because deep down they had found parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/they-weren-t-impatient-for-the-boys-to-turn-into-cartoons-again-they/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [Censors are energetic and righteous people but they just couldn't work a room like Abbe Lane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/censors-are-energetic-and-righteous-people-but-they-just-couldn-t/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [My father was an Episcopal minister, and for 14 years my family lived in China, in a city called Wuchang. We four children spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/my-father-was-an-episcopal-minister-and-for-14-years-my-family-lived/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

> [I asked Frank what he remembered most about working with Jackie. He said, 'Apart from the fact that he always called me Francis, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/i-asked-frank-what-he-remembered-most-about-working-with-jackie-he/)

[Audrey Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

[Explore all 25 Audrey Meadows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/)

## 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": "But then there is the one who seems to have a hard time separating the actor's work from reality.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Audrey Meadows"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-have-a-hard-time-separating/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-have-a-hard-time-separating/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/audrey-meadows-24005_actor_but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-h_217594.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But then there is the one who seems to have a hard time separating the actor's work from reality.” — Audrey Meadows",
                "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": "Audrey Meadows",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-meadows/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But then there is the one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-have-a-hard-time-separating/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-meadows/but-then-there-is-the-one-who-seems-to-have-a-hard-time-separating/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
