--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only reason anyone goes to Broadway…" description: "\"The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they can't get work in the movies.\" — Bette Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg" --- # The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they… ![“The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they can't get work in the movies.” quote by Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg) > “The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they can't get work in the movies.” [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Claims Broadway attracts talent unable to secure film roles, implying hierarchy. **In simple terms:** Broadway is a fallback for those rejected by movies. Key Takeaway Recognize stage as distinct art form. Themes career artistic hierarchy film theatre Mood thoughtful analytical Type observation critique When to use this quote - acting career planning - talent agency advice - industry networking Key Concepts industry competition career pathways artistic value Questions to Reflect On - Why might an actor prefer stage over screen? - How do industry perceptions affect talent decisions? A Different Perspective Overlooks many choose theater for artistic reasons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Broadway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadway/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [I have to say, speaking from experience, just because an actor starts out in a role in the workshop, they won't necessarily play it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hilty/i-have-to-say-speaking-from-experience-just-because-an-actor-starts/) [Megan Hilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hilty/) > [I like to work and there's no movies for actors, period, especially black actors. When white actors are like, 'Man, there's no work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/i-like-to-work-and-there-s-no-movies-for-actors-period-especially/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [“I go to the movies because – I like adventure. Adventure is something I don’t have much of at work, so I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-go-to-the-movies-because-i-like-adventure-adventure-is-something-i/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [When my mother got home from work, she would take me to the movies. It was her way of getting out, and she would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/when-my-mother-got-home-from-work-she-would-take-me-to-the-movies-it/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [You have more time to work in movies. My experience with movies is that you have more time to experiment with the character and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louisa-kelly/you-have-more-time-to-work-in-movies-my-experience-with-movies-is/) [Jean Louisa Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louisa-kelly/) > [I am a simple girl who does social work and work in movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakhi-sawant/i-am-a-simple-girl-who-does-social-work-and-work-in-movies/) [Rakhi Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakhi-sawant/) > [I don't have a goal but I just want to work on movies that I really like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-don-t-have-a-goal-but-i-just-want-to-work-on-movies-that-i-really/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The best part about stand-up is that you control everything. Period. When you work in movies, or on TV shows, there are 50 other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauly-shore/the-best-part-about-stand-up-is-that-you-control-everything-period-2/) [Pauly Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauly-shore/) > [When I entered the film industry, I hadn't dreamt that I would work in so many movies and opposite so many reigning and future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waheeda-rehman/when-i-entered-the-film-industry-i-hadn-t-dreamt-that-i-would-work-in/) [Waheeda Rehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waheeda-rehman/) > [In some ways, you could argue, television is doing far more interesting work than the movies. It's more fulfilling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/in-some-ways-you-could-argue-television-is-doing-far-more-interesting/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [As an actor, it's much easier for me to get work in the movies because nobody knows who I am except for the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/as-an-actor-it-s-much-easier-for-me-to-get-work-in-the-movies-because/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Actually, I never work in movies for money. I'm glad when I get well-paid, but it's not always the case - trust me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/actually-i-never-work-in-movies-for-money-i-m-glad-when-i-get-well/) [Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/) > [A huge problem in movies or with people who work on movies is that two people can look at the same thing but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/a-huge-problem-in-movies-or-with-people-who-work-on-movies-is-that/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [I think it's a total fallacy for people to say, "You couldn't make those old movies today." I think there's more ways to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-think-it-s-a-total-fallacy-for-people-to-say-you-couldn-t-make/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [It's different if you're a painter. You can hidethe ones that don't work. You can't do that with movies. They tellthe story of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/it-s-different-if-you-re-a-painter-you-can-hidethe-ones-that-don-t/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) ## More by Bette Davis > [In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/in-this-business-until-you-re-known-as-a-monster-you-re-not-a-star/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/you-will-never-be-happier-than-you-expect-to-change-your-happiness/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [The male ego with few exceptions is elephantine to start with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-male-ego-with-few-exceptions-is-elephantine-to-start-with/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [“Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars. - Now, Voyager”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/oh-jerry-don-t-let-s-ask-for-the-moon-we-have-the-stars-now-voyager/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Almost as many inhumanities are committed in the name of love as in the name of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/almost-as-many-inhumanities-are-committed-in-the-name-of-love-as-in/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I have eyes like a bullfrog, a neck like an ostrich and long, limp hair. You just have to be good to survive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-have-eyes-like-a-bullfrog-a-neck-like-an-ostrich-and-long-limp-hair/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Dramatic art in her opinion is knowing how to fill a sweater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/dramatic-art-in-her-opinion-is-knowing-how-to-fill-a-sweater/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn't dare to make an enemy should get out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-do-not-regret-one-professional-enemy-i-have-made-any-actor-who/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I never did pal around with actresses. Their talk usually bored me to tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-never-did-pal-around-with-actresses-their-talk-usually-bored-me-to/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [The secret of marriage is: separate bedrooms and separate bathrooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-secret-of-marriage-is-separate-bedrooms-and-separate-bathrooms/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I was never very interested in boys - and there were plenty of them - vying with one another to see how many famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-was-never-very-interested-in-boys-and-there-were-plenty-of-them/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [The only way you can become a legend is in your coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-only-way-you-can-become-a-legend-is-in-your-coffin/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [If Hollywood didn't work out, I was prepared to be the best secretary in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/if-hollywood-didn-t-work-out-i-was-prepared-to-be-the-best-secretary/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Everybody has a heart. Except some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/everybody-has-a-heart-except-some-people/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I've been lucky. I'll be lucky again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-ve-been-lucky-i-ll-be-lucky-again/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) [Explore all 176 Bette Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) ## More Broadway quotes > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/) [Deborah Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-kass/) > [I would love to go back to Broadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-finneran/i-would-love-to-go-back-to-broadway/) [Katie Finneran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-finneran/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [That's why I had to leave Hair on Broadway, because I did it for about a year, and one night I was doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/that-s-why-i-had-to-leave-hair-on-broadway-because-i-did-it-for-about/) [Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/) > [I starred in a Broadway play that was Sidney Poitier's first directing job and the cast was Lou Gossett, Cicely Tyson, Diana Ladd and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/i-starred-in-a-broadway-play-that-was-sidney-poitier-s-first/) [David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/) > [All of a sudden, I was a young kid in my early 20s, and I had a couple of Broadway shows to my credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tenney/all-of-a-sudden-i-was-a-young-kid-in-my-early-20s-and-i-had-a-couple/) [Jon Tenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tenney/) > [When I was little, I saw the play 'Les Miserables' on Broadway, I thought it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/when-i-was-little-i-saw-the-play-les-miserables-on-broadway-i-thought/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I never thought my life's path would take me to Broadway, but when I heard they were creating a musical based on one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-never-thought-my-life-s-path-would-take-me-to-broadway-but-when-i/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [I aspired from early on to write a novel, to be in the 'New Yorker,' to be on Broadway, and at least in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-o-donnell/i-aspired-from-early-on-to-write-a-novel-to-be-in-the-new-yorker-to/) [Mark O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-o-donnell/) > [The Beatles have a deeper appreciation of all music. There's a humor, there's a Broadway sense, and later on, the Indian stuff came in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-vivino/the-beatles-have-a-deeper-appreciation-of-all-music-there-s-a-humor/) Jimmy Vivino > [I remember going onstage on Broadway in this Leigh Bowery thing for a track like "Ich Bin Kunst." I've got breasts, this latex dripping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-remember-going-onstage-on-broadway-in-this-leigh-bowery-thing-for-a/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [I am an off-Broadway, nonprofit kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lapine/i-am-an-off-broadway-nonprofit-kind-of-guy/) [James Lapine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lapine/) > [I never wanted to just be on Broadway, I wanted to be Simba.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-mclaughlin/i-never-wanted-to-just-be-on-broadway-i-wanted-to-be-simba/) [Caleb McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-mclaughlin/) [Browse all 1,139 Broadway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadway/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they can't get work in the movies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bette Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway-is-because-they-can-t-get/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Broadway" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway-is-because-they-can-t-get/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/bette-davis-2218_broadway_the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway_807530.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only reason anyone goes to Broadway is because they can't get work in the movies.” — Bette Davis", "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": "Bette Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only reason anyone goes to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway-is-because-they-can-t-get/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-only-reason-anyone-goes-to-broadway-is-because-they-can-t-get/#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 } } ] } ```