---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I…"
description: "\"As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I throw a lot out there, and some of it works and some of it doesn't.\" — Christopher Walken"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg"
---

#  As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I throw a lot out…

![“As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I throw a lot out there, and some of it works and some of it doesn't.” quote by Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg)

> “As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I throw a lot out there, and some of it works and some of it doesn't.”

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Balancing risk and reward in creative work; not every effort succeeds, but trying leads to growth.

**In simple terms:** Creative work involves trial and error.

Key Takeaway

Embrace experimentation, learn from failures.

Themes

creativity risk growth

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- acting auditions
- writing drafts
- musical improvisation
- entrepreneurial pitches

Key Concepts

probability iteration self-awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What risks can you take today?
- How do you evaluate a failed attempt?

A Different Perspective

Success depends on persistence, not just talent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [As an actor I'm rather hit and miss, I throw a lot out there, and some of it works and some of it doesn't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-throw-a-lot-out-there-and-some-2/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I'm used to being in creative environments where people throw out a lot of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-armstrong/i-m-used-to-being-in-creative-environments-where-people-throw-out-a/)

[Tim Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-armstrong/)

> [One of the freedoms you get if you earn a lot of money from a book is to throw away what you want. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/one-of-the-freedoms-you-get-if-you-earn-a-lot-of-money-from-a-book-is/)

[Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/)

> [I don't think anyone really understands why a show works or why it doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/i-don-t-think-anyone-really-understands-why-a-show-works-or-why-it/)

[Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/)

> [How our government works... it doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/how-our-government-works-it-doesn-t/)

[Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/)

> [That's the way it happens - some characters you set out to use, some are happy accidents. As long as it works, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/that-s-the-way-it-happens-some-characters-you-set-out-to-use-some-are/)

[Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/)

> [I tell friends all the time, when you don't have as much disposable money to throw around, it seems there's a lot of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-eubanks/i-tell-friends-all-the-time-when-you-don-t-have-as-much-disposable/)

[Christopher Eubanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-eubanks/)

> [I used to throw a lot of stuff against the wall, just to see what ended up sticking; now I'm pretty much using everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lanegan/i-used-to-throw-a-lot-of-stuff-against-the-wall-just-to-see-what/)

[Mark Lanegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lanegan/)

> [I do throw out a lot of ideas, and I forget completely about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-do-throw-out-a-lot-of-ideas-and-i-forget-completely-about-them/)

[Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/)

> [No matter how many times you've done it, the early stages of getting a show up on its feet is very hit and miss.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-metcalf/no-matter-how-many-times-you-ve-done-it-the-early-stages-of-getting-a/)

[Laurie Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-metcalf/)

> [Those who skim over the surface in a hit-or-miss fashion not only forfeit the best returns on their efforts, but are ever barred from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-e-stevens/those-who-skim-over-the-surface-in-a-hit-or-miss-fashion-not-only/)

Roderick E. Stevens

> [Well, in that hit you miss. She'll not be hit With Cupid's arrow. She hath Dian's wit, And, in strong proff of chastity well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/well-in-that-hit-you-miss-she-ll-not-be-hit-with-cupid-s-arrow-she/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A sketch show by its very nature is hit and miss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-horne/a-sketch-show-by-its-very-nature-is-hit-and-miss/)

[Mathew Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-horne/)

> [Hit or miss Beside, myself, with doubt, push on. What's to come must be proved focus bliss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kittie/hit-or-miss-beside-myself-with-doubt-push-on-what-s-to-come-must-be/)

[Kittie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kittie/)

> [Food on the road can be a hit-or-miss deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/food-on-the-road-can-be-a-hit-or-miss-deal/)

[Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/)

## More by Christopher Walken

> [One thing that's happened to me is I've been around a long time and I've played a lot of villains and so forth. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/one-thing-that-s-happened-to-me-is-i-ve-been-around-a-long-time-and-i/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [In my personal life I'm very conservative. I've been married to the same person for nearly 50 years, I'm scrupulous about paying bills, avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/in-my-personal-life-i-m-very-conservative-i-ve-been-married-to-the/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I grew up in the '50s, in New York City, where television was born. There were 90 live shows every week, and they used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-grew-up-in-the-50s-in-new-york-city-where-television-was-born-there/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I think that a good movie creates its own world, and that world needn't refer to anything that's real. If it's consistent, if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-that-a-good-movie-creates-its-own-world-and-that-world-needn/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [An audience is the most dangerous thing in the world, because they paid, and they're looking at you. And they paid! And there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/an-audience-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the-world-because-they/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I make movies that nobody will see. I've made movies that even I have never seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-make-movies-that-nobody-will-see-i-ve-made-movies-that-even-i-have/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [For me, in movies, it's always a mixed bag. I've never made a movie where I thought, "You were really good in that movie;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/for-me-in-movies-it-s-always-a-mixed-bag-i-ve-never-made-a-movie/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I think the fact that I was raised in show business, in New York City, in the '50s, that's affected my personality to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-the-fact-that-i-was-raised-in-show-business-in-new-york-city/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [Obviously an actor draws on his own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/obviously-an-actor-draws-on-his-own-experience/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [In rehearsal you have a good accident that you can repeat.In the movies if you have a good accident you hope the camera's running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/in-rehearsal-you-have-a-good-accident-that-you-can-repeat-in-the/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I was never a child actor. I was a child performer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-was-never-a-child-actor-i-was-a-child-performer/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I have been in movies that I thought I wasn't very good in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-have-been-in-movies-that-i-thought-i-wasn-t-very-good-in/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [I think I'm getting a little bit of Alzheimer's. Just a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-think-i-m-getting-a-little-bit-of-alzheimer-s-just-a-little/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [It's very bizarre though when you get hired and then the director will say, "I know how this goes." And you're thinking, "Wait a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/it-s-very-bizarre-though-when-you-get-hired-and-then-the-director/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

> [It's interesting - a lot of good actors are good mimes. But I'm terrible. If I tried to do an impression, nobody would know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/it-s-interesting-a-lot-of-good-actors-are-good-mimes-but-i-m-terrible/)

[Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

[Explore all 209 Christopher Walken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/)

## 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": "As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I throw a lot out there, and some of it works and some of it doesn't.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Walken"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-throw-a-lot-out-there-and-some/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-throw-a-lot-out-there-and-some/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/christopher-walken-1773_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-th_478881.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As an actor, I'm rather hit and miss; I throw a lot out there, and some of it works and some of it doesn't.” — Christopher Walken",
                "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": "Christopher Walken",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As an actor, I'm rather hit...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-throw-a-lot-out-there-and-some/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/as-an-actor-i-m-rather-hit-and-miss-i-throw-a-lot-out-there-and-some/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
