--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you see my performances, even people…" description: "\"When you see my performances, even people that you might have known, like Nicky Barnes in 'American Gangster,' you have to get over the fact that I loo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg" --- # When you see my performances, even people that you might… ![“When you see my performances, even people that you might have known, like Nicky Barnes in 'American Gangster,' you have to get over the fact that I look like Cuba Gooding, Jr. But once you find truth in the performance, if I'm doing my job right, you believe everything.” quote by Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg) > “When you see my performances, even people that you might have known, like Nicky Barnes in 'American Gangster,' you have to get over the fact that I look like Cuba Gooding, Jr. But once you find truth in the performance, if I'm doing my job right, you believe everything.” [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A performer must transcend physical resemblance and embody truth, allowing audiences to fully believe the role. **In simple terms:** Acting requires truth beyond looks. Key Takeaway Focus on authentic expression to convince others. Themes performance identity truth Mood dramatic inspirational Type motivational artistic When to use this quote - theatre - film auditions - public speaking - personal branding Key Concepts method acting empathy perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you convey authenticity when judged by appearance? - What techniques help you embody a role fully? A Different Perspective Physical similarity can distract from the message. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Gangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gangster/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [The great attraction to 'American Gangster' is these two great characters who are absolute paradoxes within their own sphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/the-great-attraction-to-american-gangster-is-these-two-great/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [It's funny, because I've never thought of myself as a Hispanic actor, like in 'American Gangster,' I'm playing an Italian. I've always been fortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yul-vazquez/it-s-funny-because-i-ve-never-thought-of-myself-as-a-hispanic-actor/) [Yul Vazquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yul-vazquez/) > [People love stories about the mafia: 'The Godfather,' 'American Gangster.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-statham/people-love-stories-about-the-mafia-the-godfather-american-gangster/) [Jason Statham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-statham/) > [I would love a radio show, a bit like when Nicky Byrne sat in for Ryan Tubridy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vogue-williams/i-would-love-a-radio-show-a-bit-like-when-nicky-byrne-sat-in-for-ryan/) [Vogue Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vogue-williams/) > [“What? I thought you didn't like her." Nicky bolted upright like Neil struck him. "Who doesn't like Renee?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-sakavic/what-i-thought-you-didn-t-like-her-nicky-bolted-upright-like-neil/) [Nora Sakavic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-sakavic/) > [“Quinn thought for a moment and then he said, “I don’t have any papers.” True enough, thought Whitfield, and for that matter you don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-rabe/quinn-thought-for-a-moment-and-then-he-said-i-don-t-have-any-papers/) [Peter Rabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-rabe/) > [I walked out on American Gangster: this evil piece of dreck. Defenders of this junk say that these movies give Black actors jobs. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/i-walked-out-on-american-gangster-this-evil-piece-of-dreck-defenders/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [“… the Nazis, without admitting it, learned as much from American gangster organizations as their propaganda, admittedly, learned from American business publicity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-nazis-without-admitting-it-learned-as-much-from-american-gangster/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“I'd like you to see that we are interfering too drastically. WE can't just assume so completely that Azerbaijan is in the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/i-d-like-you-to-see-that-we-are-interfering-too-drastically-we-can-t/) [James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/) > [I've been able to accomplish goals that I set for myself, where in countries like Cuba you just don't get those opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-alvarez/i-ve-been-able-to-accomplish-goals-that-i-set-for-myself-where-in/) [Eddy Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-alvarez/) > [“The Baxter house sparkled with multicolored lights and evergreen garlands draped with icicles. The piney scent of a real Christmas tree mixed with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-diaz-gonzalez/the-baxter-house-sparkled-with-multicolored-lights-and-evergreen/) [Christina Diaz Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-diaz-gonzalez/) > [What I really like about Cuba is that you can go into a local bar in a provincial town and you'll get jazz played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/what-i-really-like-about-cuba-is-that-you-can-go-into-a-local-bar-in/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) > [It's absurd. We would all like to see Cuba move toward civil society and free markets and greater respect for human rights. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-smith/it-s-absurd-we-would-all-like-to-see-cuba-move-toward-civil-society/) Wayne Smith > [I'd like to go to Cuba.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elian-gonzalez/i-d-like-to-go-to-cuba/) [Elian Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elian-gonzalez/) > [ I wouldn't like to see Cuba change in other ways. And the trouble is when Fidel \[Castro\] does go - I am sure he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gimlette/i-wouldn-t-like-to-see-cuba-change-in-other-ways-and-the-trouble-is/) [John Gimlette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gimlette/) ## More by Cuba Gooding, Jr > [I worked so much when my first son was born that I missed a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-worked-so-much-when-my-first-son-was-born-that-i-missed-a-lot/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [When I won the Oscar, I fell into that mind-set that this is a precious role. People everywhere were shouting, 'Show me the money!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/when-i-won-the-oscar-i-fell-into-that-mind-set-that-this-is-a/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [At one point, I was greenlighting films and scripts that shouldn't have been made based on the fact that they had that stamp of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/at-one-point-i-was-greenlighting-films-and-scripts-that-shouldn-t/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I'm not a prude. On the set, they called me 'Butt Naked.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-m-not-a-prude-on-the-set-they-called-me-butt-naked/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I've been given that gift of working with Jack Nicholson and James Coburn and certain people who just out of nowhere break into stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-ve-been-given-that-gift-of-working-with-jack-nicholson-and-james/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I have never made a decision based on race and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-have-never-made-a-decision-based-on-race-and-never-will/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I think police officers are modern day heroes. I think they protect us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-think-police-officers-are-modern-day-heroes-i-think-they-protect-us/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [The hardest part was when I was in high school not having a job and always being broke. I had to get to auditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/the-hardest-part-was-when-i-was-in-high-school-not-having-a-job-and/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I understand it all. I can write my own ticket for one or two movies. But if they're not the right ones, my ticket…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-understand-it-all-i-can-write-my-own-ticket-for-one-or-two-movies/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I speak to my agent about great roles, and he's like, 'They are all going to Will Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-speak-to-my-agent-about-great-roles-and-he-s-like-they-are-all/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [Don't let people disrespect you. My mom says don't open the door to the devil. Surround yourself with positive people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/don-t-let-people-disrespect-you-my-mom-says-don-t-open-the-door-to/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [My wife and I have been together since 1986. I graduated in '86 and she graduated in '88. We began dating when she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/my-wife-and-i-have-been-together-since-1986-i-graduated-in-86-and-she/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [Our job as artists is to reflect the ills of society sometimes and to find a truth in that, and I think you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/our-job-as-artists-is-to-reflect-the-ills-of-society-sometimes-and-to/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [The Academy Awards was an amazing night. I know I kind of lost my mind a little bit. I apologize for that. That night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/the-academy-awards-was-an-amazing-night-i-know-i-kind-of-lost-my-mind/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [I don't choose parts. I choose filmmakers. I'm done trying to make a statement with a character. What happens is, I craft a performance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-don-t-choose-parts-i-choose-filmmakers-i-m-done-trying-to-make-a/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) [Explore all 47 Cuba Gooding, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) ## 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": "When you see my performances, even people that you might have known, like Nicky Barnes in 'American Gangster,' you have to get over the fact that I look like Cuba Gooding, Jr. But once you find truth in the performance, if I'm doing my job right, you believe everything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cuba Gooding, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/when-you-see-my-performances-even-people-that-you-might-have-known/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/when-you-see-my-performances-even-people-that-you-might-have-known/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/cuba-gooding-jr-14311_actor_when-you-see-my-performances-even-people_2298603.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you see my performances, even people that you might have known, like Nicky Barnes in 'American…” — Cuba Gooding, Jr", "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": "Cuba Gooding, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you see my performances, even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/when-you-see-my-performances-even-people-that-you-might-have-known/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/when-you-see-my-performances-even-people-that-you-might-have-known/#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 } } ] } ```