--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to get through the Hamlet hoop…" description: "\"You have to get through the Hamlet hoop as a young actor. Your classical qualifications are based on the quality of your Hamlet. And then, as an older ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/derek-jacobi-16951_actors_you-have-to-get-through-the-hamlet-hoop_3210829.png" --- # You have to get through the Hamlet hoop as a young actor… ![“You have to get through the Hamlet hoop as a young actor. Your classical qualifications are based on the quality of your Hamlet. And then, as an older actor, you have to get through the Lear hoop. And I'm approaching the Lear hoop.” quote by Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/derek-jacobi-16951_actors_you-have-to-get-through-the-hamlet-hoop_3210829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/derek-jacobi-16951_actors_you-have-to-get-through-the-hamlet-hoop_3210829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/derek-jacobi-16951_actors_you-have-to-get-through-the-hamlet-hoop_3210829.png) > “You have to get through the Hamlet hoop as a young actor. Your classical qualifications are based on the quality of your Hamlet. And then, as an older actor, you have to get through the Lear hoop. And I'm approaching the Lear hoop.” [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors must master iconic roles at different career stages. **In simple terms:** Acting milestones. Key Takeaway Prepare for evolving role challenges. Themes career growth theatre Mood inspirational reflective Type theatrical career‑development When to use this quote - auditions - rehearsals - mentorship - self‑study Key Concepts role transition artistic development Questions to Reflect On - Which role defines your growth? - How will you transition to new challenges? A Different Perspective Focusing on one role may limit versatility; diversify skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor Classical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-classical-5998528/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Approaching Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approaching-lear-5998530/) [Classical Qualifications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classical-qualifications-5998527/) [Hamlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet/) [Hamlet Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet-older-5998529/) [Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lear/) [Qualifications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualifications/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. 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Seemingly it's just an athletic matter of hitting the ball consistently well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-wade/it-s-difficult-for-most-people-to-imagine-the-creative-process-in/) [Virginia Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-wade/) > [Grant me an old man's frenzy, Myself must I remake Till I am Timon and Lear Or that William Blake Who beat upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/grant-me-an-old-man-s-frenzy-myself-must-i-remake-till-i-am-timon-and/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The Only Way To Have Peace is To Teach Peach… ¥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-have-peace-is-to-teach-peach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All's well that ends well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-s-well-that-ends-well/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ After we did \[All In The Family\], that ended up being a real love fest all around. Me and Norman, Norman \[Lear\] and me,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/after-we-did-all-in-the-family-that-ended-up-being-a-real-love-fest/) [Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/) > [Thou whoreson zed! Thou unnecessary letter! My lord, if you will give me leave, I will tread this unbolted villain into mortar, and daub…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-whoreson-zed-thou-unnecessary-letter-my-lord-if-you-will-give-me/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“No matter how many times we read "King Lear," never shall we find the good king banging his tankard in high revelry, all woes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/no-matter-how-many-times-we-read-king-lear-never-shall-we-find-the/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [If you are playing King Lear you are the centre of attention anyway. You don't need to draw attention to yourself. It's all laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/if-you-are-playing-king-lear-you-are-the-centre-of-attention-anyway/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [I consider myself a disciple of Norman Lear. And one of the things he did was topic-driven humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/i-consider-myself-a-disciple-of-norman-lear-and-one-of-the-things-he/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [“Anii mei tineri au sunat a cântec, dar am trecut pe lângă ei şi am rămas cu mâna-ntinsă, ca a regelui Lear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/anii-mei-tineri-au-sunat-a-c-ntec-dar-am-trecut-pe-l-ng-ei-i-am-r-mas/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) ## More by Derek Jacobi > [Actors, I don't think, ever really grow up. I'm hoping that that rejuvenating process applies to me, too. It has so far. I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/actors-i-don-t-think-ever-really-grow-up-i-m-hoping-that-that/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [It was doing very well; it was doing particularly well outside of England. It was a very big seller for Carlton Television. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/it-was-doing-very-well-it-was-doing-particularly-well-outside-of/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [“If you want to be an actor, don’t. If you need to be an actor, do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/if-you-want-to-be-an-actor-don-t-if-you-need-to-be-an-actor-do/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [You have to pretend to live in those clothes that they lived in, to live within the climate that they had then. 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They never said particularly why, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/i-truly-don-t-know-why-it-was-ended-though-it-was-suddenly-decided/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [He was living in an age much more dangerous, more painful, much more on the edge than our own particular age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/he-was-living-in-an-age-much-more-dangerous-more-painful-much-more-on/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [Every person who is offered a knighthood has the opportunity to say yes or no. You get a letter from the Prime Minister saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/every-person-who-is-offered-a-knighthood-has-the-opportunity-to-say/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [I've been a professional actor now for 38 years. A long time. And it's wonderful to earn your living doing something that you love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-now-for-38-years-a-long-time-and-it-s/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [I had to think long and hard about what it would imply, what it would mean. Would it mean any alterations of one's lifestyle?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/i-had-to-think-long-and-hard-about-what-it-would-imply-what-it-would/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [Ellis Peters's historical detail is very accurate and very minute, and therefore is not only interesting to read but good for an actor to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/ellis-peters-s-historical-detail-is-very-accurate-and-very-minute-and/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [I think my parents were happy that I'd gone to university and gotten a degree in history so they thought, 'Well if acting doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/i-think-my-parents-were-happy-that-i-d-gone-to-university-and-gotten/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [They were totally supportive, always saw everything I did. One of the thrills of my life was when they went to the theater to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/they-were-totally-supportive-always-saw-everything-i-did-one-of-the/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [I thought it was getting better and better, because the production values were increasing each time we did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jacobi/i-thought-it-was-getting-better-and-better-because-the-production/) [Derek Jacobi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jacobi/) > [I would like to be as fit as I've always been. I've been blessed with good health, I've been blessed with stamina. 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There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [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/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. 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