--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always ask the actors, 'What have you…" description: "\"I always ask the actors, 'What have you never done before?'\" — Courtney A. Kemp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg" --- # I always ask the actors, 'What have you never done before?' ![“I always ask the actors, 'What have you never done before?'” quote by Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg) > “I always ask the actors, 'What have you never done before?'” [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She probes actors to reveal untapped potential by asking about experiences they have never tried. **In simple terms:** Ask actors about unknown experiences to spark fresh performances. Key Takeaway Encourage exploration of new challenges. Themes creativity growth performance Mood inquisitive encouraging Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - audition preparation - director‑actor workshops - creative brainstorming - career development Key Concepts acting technique self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - How can you frame the question to feel supportive? - What new skill could you try today? A Different Perspective May cause discomfort or resistance if actors feel judged. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [You - as a director, you have to do your job, you have to show things, and you don't have to ask the actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/you-as-a-director-you-have-to-do-your-job-you-have-to-show-things-and/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [Composers and lyricists are not responsible for storyline and casting. One can imagine actors shouldering this responsibility, since they charge for half the film.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaan/composers-and-lyricists-are-not-responsible-for-storyline-and-casting/) [Shaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaan/) > [When you write a script that you've felt in your soul for a long time, you can't ask the actors to go through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/when-you-write-a-script-that-you-ve-felt-in-your-soul-for-a-long-time/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [You ask actors what they would like to do, and you constantly keep them engaged. You want their engagement, input, and sensibilities. It's that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/you-ask-actors-what-they-would-like-to-do-and-you-constantly-keep/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [You should never ask actors about politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/you-should-never-ask-actors-about-politics/) [Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/) > [I don't ask other actors questions. I think that's too intrusive. I just watch. I don't want to be constricted to an idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-don-t-ask-other-actors-questions-i-think-that-s-too-intrusive-i/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [One thing I tend to do is ask actors tons and tons of questions to try to get at what they're thinking but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/one-thing-i-tend-to-do-is-ask-actors-tons-and-tons-of-questions-to/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [Before there was any talk of a movie, people would sometimes ask me what actors I would imagine playing these characters. And the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/before-there-was-any-talk-of-a-movie-people-would-sometimes-ask-me/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [If I ask my actors to bare themselves, to reveal themselves as almost naked, I have to bare myself, expose myself as well. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-audiard/if-i-ask-my-actors-to-bare-themselves-to-reveal-themselves-as-almost/) [Jacques Audiard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-audiard/) > [I don't like it when people ask actors to work for free – on the fringe – as if it's some kind of virtue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-scott/i-don-t-like-it-when-people-ask-actors-to-work-for-free-on-the-fringe/) [Andrew Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-scott/) > [If you ask any of the other actors, they'd probably say nice things because they're nice people, but I was always like, "Oh gosh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-yeun/if-you-ask-any-of-the-other-actors-they-d-probably-say-nice-things/) [Steven Yeun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-yeun/) > [I love it when you ask actors, 'What are you Doing now?' and they say 'I'm between roles'. To be living 'life between roles'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-love-it-when-you-ask-actors-what-are-you-doing-now-and-they-say-i-m/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I always ask my actors with whom they'd like to work. Before shooting we discuss how their characters are supposed to have sex. Everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-lust/i-always-ask-my-actors-with-whom-they-d-like-to-work-before-shooting/) Erika Lust > [If someone were to ask me before I made the NBA, you going to have to go through all this, you're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-webber/if-someone-were-to-ask-me-before-i-made-the-nba-you-going-to-have-to/) [Chris Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-webber/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) ## More by Courtney A. Kemp > [Wherever I go, stuff accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/wherever-i-go-stuff-accumulates/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [My dad was very, very invested in image. He felt that as a black person, the thing you could control was how did you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/my-dad-was-very-very-invested-in-image-he-felt-that-as-a-black-person/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [The only black folks in town when I was growing up were me and my cousins and one other family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/the-only-black-folks-in-town-when-i-was-growing-up-were-me-and-my/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I called my show 'Power' because, for me, the whole series is about the way my main character, Ghost, is power-less over his circumstances,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-called-my-show-power-because-for-me-the-whole-series-is-about-the/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [There's a difference between talent and skill. You might have writing talent, but skill is learned. You have to practice. I remain teachable. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/there-s-a-difference-between-talent-and-skill-you-might-have-writing/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [Great partnerships thrive because the people need each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/great-partnerships-thrive-because-the-people-need-each-other/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I really do love male characters, in some ways, for the fact that they get surprised when they're vulnerable. Women are more surprised by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-really-do-love-male-characters-in-some-ways-for-the-fact-that-they/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I thought I was going to be a professor; then I ran screaming from there into magazine journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-professor-then-i-ran-screaming-from/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I had to figure out that finding my place was not about race but about creativity, and connecting with other artists helped me find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-had-to-figure-out-that-finding-my-place-was-not-about-race-but/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [There's this idea that you can have it all, but in my opinion, you can't - not if you're a perfectionist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/there-s-this-idea-that-you-can-have-it-all-but-in-my-opinion-you-can/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I think women judge other women more harshly, always, which is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-think-women-judge-other-women-more-harshly-always-which-is-a-shame/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [I remember watching episodes of 'The Sopranos' and being filled with dread knowing what was coming or anticipating what was coming. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-remember-watching-episodes-of-the-sopranos-and-being-filled-with/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [When I'm at work, I want to be with my daughter, and when I'm with my daughter, I probably should be working, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/when-i-m-at-work-i-want-to-be-with-my-daughter-and-when-i-m-with-my/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [Writers are, for the most part, crazy people. We're like Hephaestus of the forge. We're gnarled. We're curled over. We walk with a limp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/writers-are-for-the-most-part-crazy-people-we-re-like-hephaestus-of/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [If you are other, you don't think twice about hiring people who are other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/if-you-are-other-you-don-t-think-twice-about-hiring-people-who-are/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) [Explore all 99 Courtney A. Kemp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) ## 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 always ask the actors, 'What have you never done before?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Courtney A. Kemp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-never-done-before/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-never-done-before/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ef/courtney-a-kemp-6529_actor_i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-ne_3192643.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always ask the actors, 'What have you never done before?'” — Courtney A. Kemp", "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": "Courtney A. Kemp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always ask the actors, 'What...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-never-done-before/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/i-always-ask-the-actors-what-have-you-never-done-before/#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 } } ] } ```