--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started working as an actor…" description: "\"I started working as an actor, semi-professionally, when I was 16, and got my first professional gig at 19. I guess I've kind of worked pretty consiste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actor_i-started-working-as-an-actor-semi-profe_666780.jpg" --- # I started working as an actor, semi-professionally, when I… ![“I started working as an actor, semi-professionally, when I was 16, and got my first professional gig at 19. I guess I've kind of worked pretty consistently since then.” quote by Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actor_i-started-working-as-an-actor-semi-profe_666780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actor_i-started-working-as-an-actor-semi-profe_666780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/chiwetel-ejiofor-4438_actor_i-started-working-as-an-actor-semi-profe_666780.jpg) > “I started working as an actor, semi-professionally, when I was 16, and got my first professional gig at 19. I guess I've kind of worked pretty consistently since then.” [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 began acting semi‑professionally at 16, secured a professional role by 19, and has maintained steady work since. **In simple terms:** Started young, turned passion into a career. Key Takeaway Leverage early experience for growth. Themes career development persistence artistic growth Mood reflective motivational Type personal narrative career advice When to use this quote - audition preparation - career planning - skill refinement - industry networking Key Concepts professionalism skill acquisition networking Questions to Reflect On - How have you adapted your craft over time? - What habits sustain long‑term artistic work? A Different Perspective Early start doesn’t guarantee success without continuous learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Semi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-semi-5302607/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistently/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Gigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gigs/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Professional Gig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-gig-3886082/) [Professionally 16](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professionally-16-249446/) [Semi Professionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/semi-professionally-5302608/) [Working actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-actor/) ## Related quotes > [I've acted professionally since I was 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-ve-acted-professionally-since-i-was-16/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [I realized that 'performing' was what I wanted to do when I did my first professional gig as a dancer with my company 'Synergy'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mary-stewart/i-realized-that-performing-was-what-i-wanted-to-do-when-i-did-my/) [Catherine Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mary-stewart/) > [My first professional gig was 'Once Upon a Mattress' at the Drury Lane Oakbrook... I was in the ensemble. I was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-mueller/my-first-professional-gig-was-once-upon-a-mattress-at-the-drury-lane/) [Jessie Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-mueller/) > [Knock wood, but I started acting professionally when I was 16, and I've always been able to support myself since then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-edwards/knock-wood-but-i-started-acting-professionally-when-i-was-16-and-i-ve/) [Anthony Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-edwards/) > [I mean, I've acted professionally since I was 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-mean-i-ve-acted-professionally-since-i-was-16/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [My first professional gig was on a show called 'Nikita,' and I played Al Qaeda No. 2. At that time I had to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/my-first-professional-gig-was-on-a-show-called-nikita-and-i-played-al/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I was always lucky that I've always had a gig, I'm fortunate in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-was-always-lucky-that-i-ve-always-had-a-gig-i-m-fortunate-in-that/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [There should always be that leeway because if you think of your character as sort of absolutely fixed, then you just try and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-abrahamson/there-should-always-be-that-leeway-because-if-you-think-of-your/) [Lenny Abrahamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-abrahamson/) > [I taught for a semester, but couldn't work out my teaching schedule with my acting schedule because they just didn't jive. So, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-burstein/i-taught-for-a-semester-but-couldn-t-work-out-my-teaching-schedule/) [Danny Burstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-burstein/) > [Nothing is harder than working with an actor who doesn't take it seriously or show up in the same way that you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/nothing-is-harder-than-working-with-an-actor-who-doesn-t-take-it/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Theres just a big group of actors in London. There are new ones coming in all the time, who are looking for work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-eaton/theres-just-a-big-group-of-actors-in-london-there-are-new-ones-coming/) [Rebecca Eaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-eaton/) > [My career is very easy to interpret. It's about working. I'm a working actor, so that's how I see myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-astin/my-career-is-very-easy-to-interpret-it-s-about-working-i-m-a-working/) [Sean Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-astin/) > [I don't feel I was ever a 'famous' child actor. I was just a working actor who happened to be a kid. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/i-don-t-feel-i-was-ever-a-famous-child-actor-i-was-just-a-working/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [Being a working actor, you're going to do a Spelling show. It's hard not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casper-van-dien/being-a-working-actor-you-re-going-to-do-a-spelling-show-it-s-hard/) [Casper Van Dien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casper-van-dien/) ## 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": "I started working as an actor, semi-professionally, when I was 16, and got my first professional gig at 19. 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