--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly what constitutes a stage actor…" description: "\"Certainly what constitutes a stage actor, what constitutes a film actor, I don't even know what that is. And both things are very accurate, in a sense...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e0/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_film_certainly-what-constitutes-a-stage-actor_1877140.jpg" --- # Certainly what constitutes a stage actor, what constitutes… ![“Certainly what constitutes a stage actor, what constitutes a film actor, I don't even know what that is. And both things are very accurate, in a sense. In terms of people's needs to concentrate on race, I wonder if it's completely necessary, but it's not something that is so dynamically relevant…” quote by Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e0/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_film_certainly-what-constitutes-a-stage-actor_1877140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e0/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_film_certainly-what-constitutes-a-stage-actor_1877140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e0/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_film_certainly-what-constitutes-a-stage-actor_1877140.jpg) > “Certainly what constitutes a stage actor, what constitutes a film actor, I don't even know what that is. And both things are very accurate, in a sense. In terms of people's needs to concentrate on race, I wonder if it's completely necessary, but it's not something that is so dynamically relevant to me that I feel it should be one thing or another.” [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on the blurred lines between stage and film acting, questioning the relevance of categorizing actors by medium. **In simple terms:** Acting mediums overlap; labels may be unnecessary. Key Takeaway Embrace versatility across performance forms. Themes acting identity artistic expression media convergence Mood introspective philosophical Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - audition preparation - role selection - cross‑medium projects - industry networking Key Concepts performance theory career development Questions to Reflect On - How does medium affect your artistic choices? - What benefits arise from being medium‑agnostic? A Different Perspective Industry expectations may still enforce categories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Constitutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-constitutes-2627876/) [Constitutes Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutes-film-2627877/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-actor-479540/) [Relevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevant/) [Stage Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-actor/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [I fell in love with film. I didn't start out to be a film actor. I wanted to be a theater actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-fell-in-love-with-film-i-didn-t-start-out-to-be-a-film-actor-i/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I'm a stage actor, and we never get to see our performances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarke-peters/i-m-a-stage-actor-and-we-never-get-to-see-our-performances/) [Clarke Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarke-peters/) > [I'm a stage actor. You know, I was - I cut my teeth on stage, you know. So I've always had a love affair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glynn-turman/i-m-a-stage-actor-you-know-i-was-i-cut-my-teeth-on-stage-you-know-so/) [Glynn Turman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glynn-turman/) > [I think not every improviser is a good stage actor. Certainly not every stage actor is a good improviser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-think-not-every-improviser-is-a-good-stage-actor-certainly-not/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [That was my original dream, anyway, to be on stage. I think the stage is an actor's place because actors, it belongs to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/that-was-my-original-dream-anyway-to-be-on-stage-i-think-the-stage-is/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [In live stage, the actor lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boyle/in-live-stage-the-actor-lives/) [Peter Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boyle/) > [The stage is actor's country. You have to get your passport stamped every so often or they take away your citizenship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-redgrave/the-stage-is-actor-s-country-you-have-to-get-your-passport-stamped/) [Vanessa Redgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-redgrave/) > [I would like to be able to be both a film actor and a stage actor - to be an American actor in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glover/i-would-like-to-be-able-to-be-both-a-film-actor-and-a-stage-actor-to/) [John Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-glover/) > [The only thing I wanted to do when I was a young naive kid was to become a New York stage actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-platt/the-only-thing-i-wanted-to-do-when-i-was-a-young-naive-kid-was-to/) [Oliver Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-platt/) > [Having been trained as a stage actor, and then you go out there and you're on 40,000 acres and you have a horse under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-mount/having-been-trained-as-a-stage-actor-and-then-you-go-out-there-and/) [Anson Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-mount/) > [I'm just a stage actor from Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/i-m-just-a-stage-actor-from-chicago/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [Yet the reality is that I'm a stage actor from the Midwest - probably the opposite of a shark agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/yet-the-reality-is-that-i-m-a-stage-actor-from-the-midwest-probably/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [The stage is my first love. It gives me immense self-satisfaction, a sort of power because a stage actor carries the audience along; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himani-shivpuri/the-stage-is-my-first-love-it-gives-me-immense-self-satisfaction-a/) [Himani Shivpuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himani-shivpuri/) > [Obviously, movies, you're often on location, out in the rain or the sun, in a real place where the trees and the cars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/obviously-movies-you-re-often-on-location-out-in-the-rain-or-the-sun/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [When I started acting, my whole focus and intention was to work as a stage actor in a company where you're asked to different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/when-i-started-acting-my-whole-focus-and-intention-was-to-work-as-a/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) ## More by Chiwetel Ejiofor > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [There are many different ways the public can respond to actors - they can see you on TV and feel they know you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/there-are-many-different-ways-the-public-can-respond-to-actors-they/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I wouldnt be the same actor if I couldnt do theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-wouldnt-be-the-same-actor-if-i-couldnt-do-theater/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [It's a strange thing, but you get this click in your brain; the wonderful feeling that the entirety of a character is suddenly available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/it-s-a-strange-thing-but-you-get-this-click-in-your-brain-the/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [We always want to live in an environment where there's no artificial block to good work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/we-always-want-to-live-in-an-environment-where-there-s-no-artificial/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I do like sci-fi. When I was a kid, I was always sort of locked into sci-fi stories. So, sci-fi has always had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-do-like-sci-fi-when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-always-sort-of-locked-into/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Ive always liked the idea of being a father. And Ive always romanticised it, because I lost my father when I was young. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/ive-always-liked-the-idea-of-being-a-father-and-ive-always/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I've always liked the idea of being a father. And I've always romanticised it, because I lost my father when I was young. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-liked-the-idea-of-being-a-father-and-i-ve-always/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [My favorite thing to cook is anything that comes out okay. I'm very fond of certain pastas and sauces that I can just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/my-favorite-thing-to-cook-is-anything-that-comes-out-okay-i-m-very/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [It's hard to maintain a life when you do a play. You feel you have to pretend to go through a normal day, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/it-s-hard-to-maintain-a-life-when-you-do-a-play-you-feel-you-have-to/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Reporters tend to launch on what seems to be the clearest, most stark aspects of someone's life in terms of an interview.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/reporters-tend-to-launch-on-what-seems-to-be-the-clearest-most-stark/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Working in this industry, I do feel that science and creativity turned out to be a very useful combination for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/working-in-this-industry-i-do-feel-that-science-and-creativity-turned/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [The history of slavery and the complication of slavery is that it is an international concept. It is something that affected people who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/the-history-of-slavery-and-the-complication-of-slavery-is-that-it-is/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [All roads lead home in the end. You've got to keep that in mind always - in your work and in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/all-roads-lead-home-in-the-end-you-ve-got-to-keep-that-in-mind-always/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [That global poverty would end. That people would be able to eat. It's the worst shame in the world that people go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/that-global-poverty-would-end-that-people-would-be-able-to-eat-it-s/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) [Explore all 111 Chiwetel Ejiofor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) ## 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": "Certainly what constitutes a stage actor, what constitutes a film actor, I don't even know what that is. And both things are very accurate, in a sense. 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