--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's strange: I always try to do the best…" description: "\"It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can do under the imaginary circumstances of my working position at any given time. But it's terr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/dennis-hopper-8988_acting_it-s-strange-i-always-try-to-do-the-best_500200.jpg" --- # It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can… ![“It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can do under the imaginary circumstances of my working position at any given time. But it's terrible when you know it's going bad, and you know it immediately. But you just have to still try to do the best job you can.” quote by Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/dennis-hopper-8988_acting_it-s-strange-i-always-try-to-do-the-best_500200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/dennis-hopper-8988_acting_it-s-strange-i-always-try-to-do-the-best_500200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/dennis-hopper-8988_acting_it-s-strange-i-always-try-to-do-the-best_500200.jpg) > “It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can do under the imaginary circumstances of my working position at any given time. But it's terrible when you know it's going bad, and you know it immediately. But you just have to still try to do the best job you can.” [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges that despite knowing a project is failing, one must continue to give their best effort under the given constraints. **In simple terms:** Keep trying your best even when things look bad. Key Takeaway Persist despite setbacks. Themes resilience work ethic self-awareness Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - film acting - live performance - creative projects Key Concepts performance pressure improvisation career challenges Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay motivated when you sense failure imminent? - What strategies help maintain quality under pressure? A Different Perspective Even when aware of failure, effort may not change outcome. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Best acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-acting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [To be in circumstances that are working upon us, that from time to time place us in front of great natural Things - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/to-be-in-circumstances-that-are-working-upon-us-that-from-time-to/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [I just try to keep the same people I've had around me from Day One. Keep it a real small circle because if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-love/i-just-try-to-keep-the-same-people-i-ve-had-around-me-from-day-one/) [Kevin Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-love/) > [The greatest inspiration I draw upon is, is this city (New York) and riding the subway and watching people and I find that's kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ryan/the-greatest-inspiration-i-draw-upon-is-is-this-city-new-york-and/) [Amy Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ryan/) > [I think the best acting is when you just see the thoughts on a character's face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-walter-hauser/i-think-the-best-acting-is-when-you-just-see-the-thoughts-on-a/) [Paul Walter Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-walter-hauser/) > [It's best to keep acting real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/it-s-best-to-keep-acting-real/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [The best acting is instinctive. It's not intellectual, it's not mechanical, it's instinctive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-macdonald/the-best-acting-is-instinctive-it-s-not-intellectual-it-s-not/) Craig MacDonald > [I think the best acting is when you allow yourself to be kind of vulnerable in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-think-the-best-acting-is-when-you-allow-yourself-to-be-kind-of/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [Honesty isn't enough for me. That becomes very boring. If you can convince people what you're doing is real and it's also bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-hackman/honesty-isn-t-enough-for-me-that-becomes-very-boring-if-you-can/) [Gene Hackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-hackman/) > [As far as I'm concerned, the best acting class is life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-mclaughlin/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-best-acting-class-is-life/) [Jake McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-mclaughlin/) > [Groucho Marx, in his later days, gave me the best review I've ever had and probably will ever have. I changed a light bulb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/groucho-marx-in-his-later-days-gave-me-the-best-review-i-ve-ever-had/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [The Marine Corps is some of the best acting training you could have. Having that responsibility for people's lives, suddenly time becomes a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/the-marine-corps-is-some-of-the-best-acting-training-you-could-have/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanford-meisner/an-ounce-of-behavior-is-worth-a-pound-of-words/) [Sanford Meisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanford-meisner/) > [There's a large chunk of me in all the parts. As an actor, I got involved largely because I want to let things out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/there-s-a-large-chunk-of-me-in-all-the-parts-as-an-actor-i-got/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [A lot of the best acting training I had was in junior high and high school. We had very demanding directors and did real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/a-lot-of-the-best-acting-training-i-had-was-in-junior-high-and-high/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [The really best acting is children in a playground or in a backyard. They're just lost in their imagination. The backyard isn't a pirate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-north/the-really-best-acting-is-children-in-a-playground-or-in-a-backyard/) [Nolan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-north/) ## More by Dennis Hopper > [The best and only authentic book written on the sixties underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-best-and-only-authentic-book-written-on-the-sixties-underground/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [When some people were going around being surf bums and tennis bums, I was being a gallery bum. I really liked galleries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/when-some-people-were-going-around-being-surf-bums-and-tennis-bums-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I used to have to wear a gas mask to school when I was a kid because of the dust. I would tell people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-used-to-have-to-wear-a-gas-mask-to-school-when-i-was-a-kid-because/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I did a video with Mick Jagger down in Rio de Janeiro. But I played a video director, and that's the closest I've gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-did-a-video-with-mick-jagger-down-in-rio-de-janeiro-but-i-played-a/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Like all artists, I want to cheat death a little and contribute something to the next generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/like-all-artists-i-want-to-cheat-death-a-little-and-contribute/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I'm just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City, Kansas. And I always thought that acting was art, writing was art, music was art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-m-just-a-middle-class-farm-boy-from-dodge-city-kansas-and-i-always/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [You know, this is such a rich time that we've just been involved in, and there's really a job now for historians. Film is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/you-know-this-is-such-a-rich-time-that-we-ve-just-been-involved-in/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I am just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City and my grandparents were wheat farmers. I thought painting, acting, directing and photography were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-am-just-a-middle-class-farm-boy-from-dodge-city-and-my-grandparents/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [ The inside of the Pentagon is an incredible place and a dramatic set. We do \[travel\] outside, but the inside workings of the civilian… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-inside-of-the-pentagon-is-an-incredible-place-and-a-dramatic-set/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [... I'm sort of a nervous person with the camera, so I will just shoot arbitrarily until I can focus and compose something, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-m-sort-of-a-nervous-person-with-the-camera-so-i-will-just-shoot/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [ \[After Easy Rider\] I couldn't get another movie, so I lived in Mexico City for a couple of years. I lived in Paris for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/after-easy-rider-i-couldn-t-get-another-movie-so-i-lived-in-mexico/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Society loves to put bubbles up there and pop them, and I resent it. I'd rather expose myself myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/society-loves-to-put-bubbles-up-there-and-pop-them-and-i-resent-it-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [My whole written history is one big lie! I mean, I can't even believe my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/my-whole-written-history-is-one-big-lie-i-mean-i-can-t-even-believe/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Banks wont even loan each other money, everybody's going broke, and here we are inside here, these people are going to be out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/banks-wont-even-loan-each-other-money-everybody-s-going-broke-and/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [There are moments that I've had some real brilliance, you know. But I think they are moments. And sometimes, in a career, moments are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/there-are-moments-that-i-ve-had-some-real-brilliance-you-know-but-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) [Explore all 76 Dennis Hopper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can do under the imaginary circumstances of my working position at any given time. But it's terrible when you know it's going bad, and you know it immediately. 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