--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Movie acting suits me because I only need…" description: "\"Movie acting suits me because I only need to be good for ninety seconds at a time.\" — Bill Murray" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/bill-murray-1709_acting_movie-acting-suits-me-because-i-only-nee_1949026.png" --- # Movie acting suits me because I only need to be good for… ![“Movie acting suits me because I only need to be good for ninety seconds at a time.” quote by Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/bill-murray-1709_acting_movie-acting-suits-me-because-i-only-nee_1949026.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/bill-murray-1709_acting_movie-acting-suits-me-because-i-only-nee_1949026.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/bill-murray-1709_acting_movie-acting-suits-me-because-i-only-nee_1949026.png) > “Movie acting suits me because I only need to be good for ninety seconds at a time.” [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting is brief, so focus on delivering quality in each short performance. **In simple terms:** Short roles demand high quality. Key Takeaway Give your best in every moment. Themes performance brevity craft Mood playful confident Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - stage auditions - film scenes - public speaking - improvisation Key Concepts theatre acting technique Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain depth in brief roles? - What does “good for ninety seconds” mean to you? A Different Perspective Short focus may limit depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Making an espresso is a performance that lasts ninety seconds and then you’re done. You go on to the next performance. You may get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman/making-an-espresso-is-a-performance-that-lasts-ninety-seconds-and/) [James Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman/) > [“squeaks, and I know she’s grinding her hips into it. I let her do this for another ninety seconds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-snow/squeaks-and-i-know-she-s-grinding-her-hips-into-it-i-let-her-do-this/) [Emily Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-snow/) > [If you're ninety-five percent of the way to outstanding success, doesn't it make sense to go the additional five percent of the way? ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/if-you-re-ninety-five-percent-of-the-way-to-outstanding-success-doesn/) [Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/) > [Entertainment has seduced us into believing that we have a chance to live the life they live in the movies. Even the people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/entertainment-has-seduced-us-into-believing-that-we-have-a-chance-to/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Stand-up comedy is a lot about amplifying emotions and situations; movie acting has a lot to do with mellowing things down and making them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vir-das/stand-up-comedy-is-a-lot-about-amplifying-emotions-and-situations/) [Vir Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vir-das/) > [So much of movie acting is in the lighting. And in loving your characters. I try to know them, and with that intimacy comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/so-much-of-movie-acting-is-in-the-lighting-and-in-loving-your/) [Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/) > [Of course, you can never watch something like somebody else watches something like you, but nonetheless, you have to try. So I think on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/of-course-you-can-never-watch-something-like-somebody-else-watches/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [I've got to see my movie to see how I'm acting, see what little things I can learn about my craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/i-ve-got-to-see-my-movie-to-see-how-i-m-acting-see-what-little-things/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Movie acting is about covering the machinery. Stage acting is about exposing the machinery. In cinema, you should think the actor is playing himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/movie-acting-is-about-covering-the-machinery-stage-acting-is-about/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [Movie acting may not have a certain kind of glory as true art, but it is damn hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-holden/movie-acting-may-not-have-a-certain-kind-of-glory-as-true-art-but-it/) [William Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-holden/) > [I don't think I really have a talent for movie acting. I'm not bad at it, but I don't think I really have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/i-don-t-think-i-really-have-a-talent-for-movie-acting-i-m-not-bad-at/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [I have people tell me all the time, 'I was expecting you to be mean.' Why is that? Because you saw me in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-murphy/i-have-people-tell-me-all-the-time-i-was-expecting-you-to-be-mean-why/) [Charlie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-murphy/) > [I remember hearing someone say that good acting is more about taking off a mask than putting one on, and in movie acting, certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-remember-hearing-someone-say-that-good-acting-is-more-about-taking/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [Movie acting is a great job for your twenties: You travel all over, you have affairs with people, and you throw yourself into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt/movie-acting-is-a-great-job-for-your-twenties-you-travel-all-over-you/) [Helen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt/) > [Theater acting is an operation with a scalpel, movie acting is an operation with a laser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/theater-acting-is-an-operation-with-a-scalpel-movie-acting-is-an/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## More by Bill Murray > [“It's given many great performers their start, but more importantly, it's killed thousands of barely talented people and it's put them to death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/it-s-given-many-great-performers-their-start-but-more-importantly-it/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [Disneyland. The world's biggest people trap, built by a mouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/disneyland-the-world-s-biggest-people-trap-built-by-a-mouse/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [You want my dark side? Have I ever stolen anything? Not so much intentionally. But I don't think it's so much stealing as... being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/you-want-my-dark-side-have-i-ever-stolen-anything-not-so-much/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/the-more-relaxed-you-are-the-better-you-are-at-everything/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [The human condition means that we can zone out and forget what the hell we're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/the-human-condition-means-that-we-can-zone-out-and-forget-what-the/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [You have to be as light as you can be and not get weighed down and stuck in your emotion, stuck in your body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/you-have-to-be-as-light-as-you-can-be-and-not-get-weighed-down-and/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I'm suspicious of people who don't like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn't like a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-m-suspicious-of-people-who-don-t-like-dogs-but-i-trust-a-dog-when/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I met a woman who photographed celebrity dogs for a book, and she told me that Ralph Lauren's dog is named Rugby. I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-met-a-woman-who-photographed-celebrity-dogs-for-a-book-and-she-told/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I came out of the old Second City in Chicago. Chicago actors are more hard-nosed. They're tough on themselves and their fellow actors. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-came-out-of-the-old-second-city-in-chicago-chicago-actors-are-more/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I know how to be sour. I know that taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-know-how-to-be-sour-i-know-that-taste/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [Grab this day by the neck and kiss it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/grab-this-day-by-the-neck-and-kiss-it/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [And when I told my sons I might be in City of Ember, they said, 'Oh! You're gonna be the mayor?' And I hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/and-when-i-told-my-sons-i-might-be-in-city-of-ember-they-said-oh-you/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I've got kids and that's important. It's funny, you think that there's an expiration date on them and there just isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-ve-got-kids-and-that-s-important-it-s-funny-you-think-that-there-s/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [I don't answer fan mail. I don't have time for that. It's like hundreds of thousands of people who think they're going to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-don-t-answer-fan-mail-i-don-t-have-time-for-that-it-s-like-hundreds/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/the-more-relaxed-you-are-the-better-you-are-at-everything-the-better/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) [Explore all 214 Bill Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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