--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're always looking for roles and other…" description: "\"You're always looking for roles and other creatives who are going to be challenging to you, because you're always a better actor after the experience.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg" --- # You're always looking for roles and other creatives who… ![“You're always looking for roles and other creatives who are going to be challenging to you, because you're always a better actor after the experience.” quote by David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg) > “You're always looking for roles and other creatives who are going to be challenging to you, because you're always a better actor after the experience.” [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Continuously seeking challenging collaborators sharp your craft and confidence **In simple terms:** Working with tough peers improves your acting Key Takeaway Seek out demanding projects Themes growth collaboration craft Mood motivated reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - auditions - theatre productions - film sets - creative workshops Key Concepts Mentorship risk-taking skill development Questions to Reflect On - How do you choose challenges that foster growth? - What limits do you set to stay healthy? A Different Perspective May lead to burnout if not balanced ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Anytime you get to work with an actor who is beyond you in experience and talent, I feel like they make you a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malin-akerman/anytime-you-get-to-work-with-an-actor-who-is-beyond-you-in-experience/) [Malin Akerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malin-akerman/) > [The biggest thing about me, as an actor, is I'm never a finished product, you know? I always want to try something or be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-barnard/the-biggest-thing-about-me-as-an-actor-is-i-m-never-a-finished-2/) [Aneurin Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-barnard/) > [I'm trying to lead by example. But I'm definitely challenging myself to be a better player, the player I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avery-bradley/i-m-trying-to-lead-by-example-but-i-m-definitely-challenging-myself/) [Avery Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avery-bradley/) > [I think the thing that keeps us motivated is challenging ourselves to see if we can be better than we've been before and seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-demarcus/i-think-the-thing-that-keeps-us-motivated-is-challenging-ourselves-to/) [Jay DeMarcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-demarcus/) > [I basically enjoy doing films that are about something, that have complex roles that I can sink my teeth into. Basically, I gravitate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-basically-enjoy-doing-films-that-are-about-something-that-have/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [A lot of times, in film and TV, they just want you to play yourself. But, when you're someone who's more of a character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-preston/a-lot-of-times-in-film-and-tv-they-just-want-you-to-play-yourself-but/) [Carrie Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-preston/) > [I think any performing artist can do films, or, as a matter of fact, anybody out there in the street can be a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-think-any-performing-artist-can-do-films-or-as-a-matter-of-fact/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I did a show back when I was in high school - so I was about 17 - and it was the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-diaz/i-did-a-show-back-when-i-was-in-high-school-so-i-was-about-17-and-it/) [Guillermo Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-diaz/) > [Definitely as an actor, the experience you have, at least I'm talking for me, my experience as an actor is you go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodrigo-santoro/definitely-as-an-actor-the-experience-you-have-at-least-i-m-talking/) [Rodrigo Santoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodrigo-santoro/) > [For an actor with his experience, Kamal Haasan's never shown a complacent 'Been there; done it' attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-jeremiah/for-an-actor-with-his-experience-kamal-haasan-s-never-shown-a/) [Andrea Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-jeremiah/) > [As an actor, the experience that I have as a politician while sitting in Parliament - that helps me enrich myself as an actor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paresh-rawal/as-an-actor-the-experience-that-i-have-as-a-politician-while-sitting/) [Paresh Rawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paresh-rawal/) > [I always wanted to be an actor, not a hero. I wanted to live the life of an actor and experience that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-not-a-hero-i-wanted-to-live-the-life/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) > [The greatest thing an actor can experience is discovery. The greatest thing an artist can walk away with is to learn something about themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/the-greatest-thing-an-actor-can-experience-is-discovery-the-greatest/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [I'm a journeyman actor. My experience as a journeyman actor is that you have to go where the work is. I've never been the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-lehman/i-m-a-journeyman-actor-my-experience-as-a-journeyman-actor-is-that/) [Kristin Lehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-lehman/) > [I've had the struggling actor experience. At one point in New York, I was holding four jobs, including bottle service girl, while I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teyonah-parris/i-ve-had-the-struggling-actor-experience-at-one-point-in-new-york-i/) [Teyonah Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teyonah-parris/) ## More by David Oyelowo > [At the end of the day, everyone knows what it is to be loved and to aspire to love someone, to want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/at-the-end-of-the-day-everyone-knows-what-it-is-to-be-loved-and-to/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I truly believe that one of the things that has been lacking in America is a spirit of repentance about the injustices of slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-truly-believe-that-one-of-the-things-that-has-been-lacking-in/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [As you know, Sunday at 11 o'clock is the most segregated hour in America. You have black churches; you have white churches; you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/as-you-know-sunday-at-11-o-clock-is-the-most-segregated-hour-in/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [If you merely focus on what we already know, then it's not revelatory. You may as well just go and watch a documentary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/if-you-merely-focus-on-what-we-already-know-then-it-s-not-revelatory/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I basically enjoy doing films that are about something, that have complex roles that I can sink my teeth into. Basically, I gravitate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-basically-enjoy-doing-films-that-are-about-something-that-have/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [In my time since moving to the United States, I've found that there is a dearth of great writing for black people. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/in-my-time-since-moving-to-the-united-states-i-ve-found-that-there-is/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [We can't afford to deny our past in a bid to be empowered. But what we can do is contextualize the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/we-can-t-afford-to-deny-our-past-in-a-bid-to-be-empowered-but-what-we/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I don't have a tailor, but I do love clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-don-t-have-a-tailor-but-i-do-love-clothes/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I am a father, I am very aware of the things that I'm putting out in the world knowing that one day my children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-am-a-father-i-am-very-aware-of-the-things-that-i-m-putting-out-in/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I feel television is in a fantastically rich vein of what it's presenting both by opportunity to actors and to audiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-feel-television-is-in-a-fantastically-rich-vein-of-what-it-s/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I do think how two people dance with each other is indicative of how they feel about each other. It can tell a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-do-think-how-two-people-dance-with-each-other-is-indicative-of-how/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [Excellence is the best weapon against prejudice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/excellence-is-the-best-weapon-against-prejudice/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [People have compact to go beyond our own culture and upbringing to a degree that I think we don't acknowledge enough really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/people-have-compact-to-go-beyond-our-own-culture-and-upbringing-to-a/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [I truly believe that we cannot come to a place of reconciliation until there is individual repentance and corporate repentance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-truly-believe-that-we-cannot-come-to-a-place-of-reconciliation/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [Africa is trying to find its way back to a sense of itself, when much of that was lost through colonization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/africa-is-trying-to-find-its-way-back-to-a-sense-of-itself-when-much/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) [Explore all 85 David Oyelowo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) ## 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": "You're always looking for roles and other creatives who are going to be challenging to you, because you're always a better actor after the experience.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Oyelowo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-other-creatives-who-are-going-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-other-creatives-who-are-going-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/david-oyelowo-7952_actors_you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-othe_2210342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You're always looking for roles and other creatives who are going to be challenging to you, because you're…” — David Oyelowo", "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": "David Oyelowo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You're always looking for roles and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-other-creatives-who-are-going-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/you-re-always-looking-for-roles-and-other-creatives-who-are-going-to/#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 } } ] } ```