--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the right situation, acting on…" description: "\"In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that's incredibly rare. Otherwise, it can be like workin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg" --- # In the right situation, acting on television can be… ![“In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that's incredibly rare. Otherwise, it can be like working in a really remunerative coal mine. That's the down side.” quote by Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg) > “In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that's incredibly rare. Otherwise, it can be like working in a really remunerative coal mine. That's the down side.” [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work in TV can feel rewarding but is rarely truly fulfilling, often feeling like demanding labor in a lucrative but unfulfilling job. **In simple terms:** TV work can be rewarding but often feels like hard, paid labor. Key Takeaway Seek creative freedom beyond TV. Themes creativity career fulatisfaction Mood frustrated reflective Type advice reflective When to use this quote - screenwriting - production - freelance projects - personal art Key Concepts artistic integrity industry constraints Questions to Reflect On - Do you value creative fulfillment over financial security? - How can you find artistic autonomy within a commercial field? A Different Perspective The reward may be limited by commercial pressures and lack of autonomy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Satisfying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfying/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [I was with my grandmother, while one of my brothers lived with my dad, and one lived with my mom. It wasn't a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/i-was-with-my-grandmother-while-one-of-my-brothers-lived-with-my-dad/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [Acting on television is like being asked by the captain to entertain the passengers while the ship goes down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/acting-on-television-is-like-being-asked-by-the-captain-to-entertain/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I always say if you've seen good acting on television, those actors are really good. Because there's just not enough time. You don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-alexander/i-always-say-if-you-ve-seen-good-acting-on-television-those-actors/) [Sasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-alexander/) > [My greatest satisfaction in acting on television is to have the opportunity to communicate with the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-burr/my-greatest-satisfaction-in-acting-on-television-is-to-have-the/) [Raymond Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-burr/) > [When I was first starting out, if you were acting on television, it was a real stigma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lahti/when-i-was-first-starting-out-if-you-were-acting-on-television-it-was/) [Christine Lahti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lahti/) > [Unfortunately, my dancing skills never came to the fore, as I got involved in acting on television, where an actor doesn't get too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/unfortunately-my-dancing-skills-never-came-to-the-fore-as-i-got/) [Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/) > [That's the thing about film acting and television acting. You just release yourself and do what is true for the moment, and ignore everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/that-s-the-thing-about-film-acting-and-television-acting-you-just/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) > [I didn't come to L.A. thinking, okay, I'm going to be an actor, so my progression was just kind of organic, starting in print…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-turner-smith/i-didn-t-come-to-l-a-thinking-okay-i-m-going-to-be-an-actor-so-my/) [Jodie Turner-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-turner-smith/) > [Directing is a nice job. It's the best job for me. If i had to pay money to do it, I would do itIt's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/directing-is-a-nice-job-it-s-the-best-job-for-me-if-i-had-to-pay/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [I've written about Powers Hapgood. He was a Harvard graduate, son of a wealthy family who owned a cannery out there. After leaving Harvard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-ve-written-about-powers-hapgood-he-was-a-harvard-graduate-son-of-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The end of coal in Appalachia doesn't mean that America is running out of coal (there's plenty left in Wyoming). But it should end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/the-end-of-coal-in-appalachia-doesn-t-mean-that-america-is-running/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [Writing is to descend like a miner to the depths of the mine with a lamp on your forehead, a light whose dubious brightness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/writing-is-to-descend-like-a-miner-to-the-depths-of-the-mine-with-a/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [I am the granddaughter of a Welsh coal miner who was determined that his kids get out of the mines. My dad got his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-romney/i-am-the-granddaughter-of-a-welsh-coal-miner-who-was-determined-that/) [Ann Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-romney/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [With a proven track record as a reliable, low cost producer able to meet the needs of our customers with a diversity of operations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/with-a-proven-track-record-as-a-reliable-low-cost-producer-able-to/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) ## More by Bradley Whitford > [I was at the vice president's Christmas party. I thought that his speech was spectacular, and I knew that it was a very emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-was-at-the-vice-president-s-christmas-party-i-thought-that-his/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [Being an actor, you always feel like you're swimming upstream. People are going, 'No, they don't like you. They don't like the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/being-an-actor-you-always-feel-like-you-re-swimming-upstream-people/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [When you act, you're always playing a version of yourself. You can't bring more to the role than what you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/when-you-act-you-re-always-playing-a-version-of-yourself-you-can-t/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [Only two things ever stop the government from doing anything: money and politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/only-two-things-ever-stop-the-government-from-doing-anything-money/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [At the end of your days, you will be judged by your gallop, not by your stumble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/at-the-end-of-your-days-you-will-be-judged-by-your-gallop-not-by-your/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/infuse-your-life-with-action-don-t-wait-for-it-to-happen-make-it/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [My joke about Aaron Sorkin is that The West Wing was a great show about democracy, run by Kim Jong-Il!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/my-joke-about-aaron-sorkin-is-that-the-west-wing-was-a-great-show/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [The issue for my character, and the issue of the show is, how dirty do your feet have to get without suffocating yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/the-issue-for-my-character-and-the-issue-of-the-show-is-how-dirty-do/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [You need to be real enough to be believable, but you don't necessarily have to be real enough to be real. There is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/you-need-to-be-real-enough-to-be-believable-but-you-don-t-necessarily/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [We all go through life bristling at our external limitations, but the most difficult chains to break are inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/we-all-go-through-life-bristling-at-our-external-limitations-but-the/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [An experience like 'The West Wing' is what I would imagine - even though I've never done it - that surfing feels like. It's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/an-experience-like-the-west-wing-is-what-i-would-imagine-even-though/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [Having an affair with an intern is just an incredibly stupid thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/having-an-affair-with-an-intern-is-just-an-incredibly-stupid-thing-to/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [Infuse your life with action...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/infuse-your-life-with-action/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [I am an old, old friend of Aaron Sorkin's, who is the executive producer and writer. He had been talking about doing a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-am-an-old-old-friend-of-aaron-sorkin-s-who-is-the-executive/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [I did not always agree, personally, on the positions that Bartlet, character from the West Wing, took and I argued against them on many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-did-not-always-agree-personally-on-the-positions-that-bartlet/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) [Explore all 47 Bradley Whitford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) ## 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. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that's incredibly rare. Otherwise, it can be like working in a really remunerative coal mine. That's the down side.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bradley Whitford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/in-the-right-situation-acting-on-television-can-be-extraordinarily/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/in-the-right-situation-acting-on-television-can-be-extraordinarily/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/bradley-whitford-14298_acting_in-the-right-situation-acting-on-televis_1945451.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that's…” — Bradley Whitford", "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": "Bradley Whitford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the right situation, acting on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/in-the-right-situation-acting-on-television-can-be-extraordinarily/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/in-the-right-situation-acting-on-television-can-be-extraordinarily/#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 } } ] } ```