--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really was a terrible actor. I did it…" description: "\"I really was a terrible actor. I did it for years in my twenties because it was like being at university again.\" — David Nicholls" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/david-nicholls-873_actor_i-really-was-a-terrible-actor-i-did-it-f_435601.png" --- # I really was a terrible actor. I did it for years in my… ![“I really was a terrible actor. I did it for years in my twenties because it was like being at university again.” quote by David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/david-nicholls-873_actor_i-really-was-a-terrible-actor-i-did-it-f_435601.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/david-nicholls-873_actor_i-really-was-a-terrible-actor-i-did-it-f_435601.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/david-nicholls-873_actor_i-really-was-a-terrible-actor-i-did-it-f_435601.png) > “I really was a terrible actor. I did it for years in my twenties because it was like being at university again.” [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits his acting was poor, treating it as a learning experience similar to university. **In simple terms:** He was a bad actor but learned from it. Key Takeaway Embrace failures as learning opportunities. Themes humility self-awareness growth career transition learning Mood reflective humorous Type self‑critical inspirational When to use this quote - career retrospectives - creative workshops - personal memoirs - industry panels Key Concepts acting career change personal development creative pursuits education Questions to Reflect On - What lessons did acting teach you about storytelling? - How can early failures shape later success? A Different Perspective Self-deprecation may mask deeper insecurities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [I realized that I was a really, really terrible actor. I was like, "I'd better be myself."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-anner/i-realized-that-i-was-a-really-really-terrible-actor-i-was-like-i-d/) [Zach Anner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-anner/) > [I'm a terrible actor. I would suck in films! The only way I would do well is if I was playing myself, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/i-m-a-terrible-actor-i-would-suck-in-films-the-only-way-i-would-do/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [I was a terrible actor, and that's why I got the job: I would allow myself to be so bad that I lowered and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-was-a-terrible-actor-and-that-s-why-i-got-the-job-i-would-allow/) [Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/) > [I like watching different kind of shows, but I hate watching myself on TV. I feel I am a terrible actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-wahi/i-like-watching-different-kind-of-shows-but-i-hate-watching-myself-on/) [Karan Wahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-wahi/) > [I am a terrible actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-a-terrible-actor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can be a really terrible actor - I won't mention any names - but, as long as you're good-looking, you can get by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-reeves/you-can-be-a-really-terrible-actor-i-won-t-mention-any-names-but-as/) [Vic Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-reeves/) > [I always thought I was a pretty terrible actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/i-always-thought-i-was-a-pretty-terrible-actor/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) > [I was a terrible actor. The analytical part of my mind never quite let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hall/i-was-a-terrible-actor-the-analytical-part-of-my-mind-never-quite-let/) [Edward Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hall/) > [I am a terrible actor. Every day I am amazed and I thank my lucky stars that I fooled you all this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-am-a-terrible-actor-every-day-i-am-amazed-and-i-thank-my-lucky/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Certainly I had a really terrible time with 'Emotionally Weird.' When I finished it, I thought, 'I can't write any more.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/certainly-i-had-a-really-terrible-time-with-emotionally-weird-when-i/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I have a really terrible sense of direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-have-a-really-terrible-sense-of-direction/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [ \[Being a celebrity\] In a word, it's terrible. In two words...Really terrible. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grumpy-cat/being-a-celebrity-in-a-word-it-s-terrible-in-two-words-really-terrible/) [Grumpy Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grumpy-cat/) > [I have a really terrible memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ijustine/i-have-a-really-terrible-memory/) iJustine > [I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really-really-terrible-lawyer/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I did a lot of terrible TV shows and was really terrible in them, and I've done terrible films I was terrible in, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-did-a-lot-of-terrible-tv-shows-and-was-really-terrible-in-them-and/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) ## More by David Nicholls > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I still find it absurdly difficult to concentrate on a novel if there's a phone or computer to hand; I have taken to locking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-still-find-it-absurdly-difficult-to-concentrate-on-a-novel-if-there/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [You've got to stop letting women slip drugs into your mouth, Dex, it's unhygienic. And dangerous. One day it'll be a cyanide capsule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/you-ve-got-to-stop-letting-women-slip-drugs-into-your-mouth-dex-it-s/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“He presses two fingers against each eye and attempts to account for this crippling melancholy, but is having trouble with rational thought. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-presses-two-fingers-against-each-eye-and-attempts-to-account-for/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [She was reaching the limits of how much its possible to change a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/she-was-reaching-the-limits-of-how-much-its-possible-to-change-a-man/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“How would she fill the days? She had no idea. The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/how-would-she-fill-the-days-she-had-no-idea-the-trick-of-it-she-told/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/what-if-it-rained-or-you-felt-a-bit-glandy-it-just-wasn-t-practical/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Sometimes, when it is going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/sometimes-when-it-is-going-badly-she-wonders-if-what-she-believes-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [The city had defeated her, just like they said it would. Like some overcrowded party, no one had noticed her arrival, and would notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/the-city-had-defeated-her-just-like-they-said-it-would-like-some/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Most of the books and films I love walk a knife edge between romance and cynicism, and I wanted 'One Day' to stay on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/most-of-the-books-and-films-i-love-walk-a-knife-edge-between-romance/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Explore all 332 David Nicholls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## 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 really was a terrible actor. 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