--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can ruin your life wanting to be an…" description: "\"You can ruin your life wanting to be an actor.\" — Bill Nighy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg" --- # You can ruin your life wanting to be an actor. ![“You can ruin your life wanting to be an actor.” quote by Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg) > “You can ruin your life wanting to be an actor.” [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing acting without preparation can lead to personal ruin, emphasizing realistic expectations and preparation **In simple terms:** Chasing acting dreams unprepared can be destructive Key Takeaway Balance passion with practical planning Themes career risk realism Mood thoughtful cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career counseling - education planning - financial planning - mental health support Key Concepts artistic ambition life balance Questions to Reflect On - What realistic steps support artistic goals? - How can you prepare for creative career risks? A Different Perspective Passion alone may not sustain a livelihood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-wanting-490009/) [Ruin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruin/) [Ruin Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruin-life/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) [Wanting Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-actor-1688225/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [You don't come into this life wanting to be anything other than happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/you-don-t-come-into-this-life-wanting-to-be-anything-other-than-happy/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) > [“I think it's a real gift to be able to say that what's in your life is enough. It seems most of us re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-it-s-a-real-gift-to-be-able-to-say-that-what-s-in-your-life/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [It's aggravating to me when you meet people that are just... you know, there's a difference between wanting to be an actor or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hartley/it-s-aggravating-to-me-when-you-meet-people-that-are-just-you-know/) [Justin Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hartley/) > [“He feared that by leaving her he would ruin her life - so he stayed, and did just that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/he-feared-that-by-leaving-her-he-would-ruin-her-life-so-he-stayed-and/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Sometimes it's better to just give up on something than to obsess over it and let it ruin in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-it-s-better-to-just-give-up-on-something-than-to-obsess/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't escape this feeling of disintegration. 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Destroy the idols that have taken your place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ruin-my-life-the-plans-that-i-ve-made-ruin-desires-for-my-own-selfish/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never go around with so many guys..it will ruin your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pradeepkumardevi/never-go-around-with-so-many-guys-it-will-ruin-your-life/) [Pradeepkumardevi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pradeepkumardevi/) > [“Drugs are great! But they will ruin your life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-powell/drugs-are-great-but-they-will-ruin-your-life/) [Alvin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-powell/) > [Loving someone to a point of being crazy about that attitudes could ruin your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/loving-someone-to-a-point-of-being-crazy-about-that-attitudes-could/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Success will ruin your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/success-will-ruin-your-life/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## More by Bill Nighy > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I speed up past mirrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-speed-up-past-mirrors/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When I do a play, it's like agreeing to be ill for a couple of months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/when-i-do-a-play-it-s-like-agreeing-to-be-ill-for-a-couple-of-months/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm always happy when actors get rich, because the odds on it are so long!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-always-happy-when-actors-get-rich-because-the-odds-on-it-are-so/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm not famous for my back story investigations; I'm lucky that I work with good writers and it's usually in the script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-not-famous-for-my-back-story-investigations-i-m-lucky-that-i-work/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I have never owned a computer. I am one of those weirdos. I've never needed a computer. I'm lucky that I have a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-have-never-owned-a-computer-i-am-one-of-those-weirdos-i-ve-never/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I've always slightly worried the kids who play football around my house. They know I'm an actor, but felt sorry for me because they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-ve-always-slightly-worried-the-kids-who-play-football-around-my/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I was never a hippy, per se.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-was-never-a-hippy-per-se/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [It's more than usually possible that I won't do a play again. But Skylight is one of the great plays in the English language.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/it-s-more-than-usually-possible-that-i-won-t-do-a-play-again-but/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When you are in something that you're proud of and it's funny and it's a good night out and all of those things, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/when-you-are-in-something-that-you-re-proud-of-and-it-s-funny-and-it/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm one of those weird people who doesn't even own a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-m-one-of-those-weird-people-who-doesn-t-even-own-a-computer/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I have a perfectly average skewed perception of myself. We often don't know what we're like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-have-a-perfectly-average-skewed-perception-of-myself-we-often-don-t/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [The degree of notoriety I have is fine and easy. There's nothing hysterical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/the-degree-of-notoriety-i-have-is-fine-and-easy-there-s-nothing/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [You get older and you see yourself and say, 'God, he's old, who's that?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-get-older-and-you-see-yourself-and-say-god-he-s-old-who-s-that/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) [Explore all 110 Bill Nighy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## 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": "You can ruin your life wanting to be an actor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Nighy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an-actor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an-actor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/bill-nighy-4521_actor_you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an_2189583.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can ruin your life wanting to be an actor.” — Bill Nighy", "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": "Bill Nighy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can ruin your life wanting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an-actor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/you-can-ruin-your-life-wanting-to-be-an-actor/#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 } } ] } ```