--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Normal Heart' was my most transcendent…" description: "\"Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor.\" — Ellen Barkin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg" --- # Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor. ![“Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor.” quote by Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg) > “Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor.” [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A pivotal acting moment felt transcendent, indicating deep personal and artistic fulfillment. **In simple terms:** A performance felt spiritually uplifting. Key Takeaway Seek moments that elevate your craft. Themes art transcendence career Mood reflective inspired Type dramatic personal When to use this quote - theatre - film - personal breakthrough Key Concepts self‑actualization emotional depth Questions to Reflect On - What role does transcendence play in your work? - How can you cultivate more of these moments? A Different Perspective Transcendence is subjective and may not be repeatable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Transcendent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-transcendent-654435/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moment Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-actor-654436/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Normal Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-heart-465407/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Transcendent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendent/) [Transcendent Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendent-moment-367794/) ## Related quotes > [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The collective experience of watching a great film together in a room is a transcendent moment that will never die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-garcia-bernal/the-collective-experience-of-watching-a-great-film-together-in-a-room/) [Gael Garcia Bernal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-garcia-bernal/) > [I've done so much theater, and yet I never had an experience like 'The Normal Heart.' We could feel the reaction of the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/i-ve-done-so-much-theater-and-yet-i-never-had-an-experience-like-the/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [It's so hard for me to let go of 'The Normal Heart.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/it-s-so-hard-for-me-to-let-go-of-the-normal-heart/) [Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/) > [When 'The Normal Heart' first appeared, the sense of urgency was so important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/when-the-normal-heart-first-appeared-the-sense-of-urgency-was-so/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [After you do a play like 'The Normal Heart,' it's hard to find something you feel so passionate about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-benjamin-hickey/after-you-do-a-play-like-the-normal-heart-it-s-hard-to-find-something/) [John Benjamin Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-benjamin-hickey/) > [When I'm onstage and the singer sings, "I think about childhood friends and the dreams we had" and "on board I'm the captain, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-panozzo/when-i-m-onstage-and-the-singer-sings-i-think-about-childhood-friends/) [Chuck Panozzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-panozzo/) > [Art is supposed to be some kind of transcendent moment. Fashion has sometimes done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/art-is-supposed-to-be-some-kind-of-transcendent-moment-fashion-has/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [“Once in a while, we get the briefest of glimpses of the magnificent beauty that resides in this universe. Life which happens within incomprehensible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srini-chandra/once-in-a-while-we-get-the-briefest-of-glimpses-of-the-magnificent/) [Srini Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srini-chandra/) > [Be in the moment as an actor and as a human being, and you're going to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-webber/be-in-the-moment-as-an-actor-and-as-a-human-being-and-you-re-going-to/) [Mark Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-webber/) > [It's a very, very rare moment when another actor hurts you. I mean, that's not normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katee-sackhoff/it-s-a-very-very-rare-moment-when-another-actor-hurts-you-i-mean-that/) [Katee Sackhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katee-sackhoff/) > [What's the classical moment that every actor or actress deals with? A tragic thing. They get that blank, faraway look in their eyes. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skeet-ulrich/what-s-the-classical-moment-that-every-actor-or-actress-deals-with-a/) [Skeet Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skeet-ulrich/) > [I don't watch rushes. My whole thing is to try to stay in the moment with the other actor, and to let it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/i-don-t-watch-rushes-my-whole-thing-is-to-try-to-stay-in-the-moment/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [You can have the most emotional moment as an actor, ever, and many people would be like, 'Okay, cool. What's next?' You land one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-cox/you-can-have-the-most-emotional-moment-as-an-actor-ever-and-many/) [Charlie Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-cox/) > [ Trying to stay in the moment as an actor and being really \[present in\] what you're doing and the scene that's going on and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/trying-to-stay-in-the-moment-as-an-actor-and-being-really-present-in/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) ## More by Ellen Barkin > [There is a certain androgyny to my appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/there-is-a-certain-androgyny-to-my-appeal/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [You've got a movie where the pro-choice family gives their daughter no choice. The pro-life family murders. What seems to be the good mother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/you-ve-got-a-movie-where-the-pro-choice-family-gives-their-daughter/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [I just would never go audition, and yet I was in very visible places where people would come looking for actors. I say I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/i-just-would-never-go-audition-and-yet-i-was-in-very-visible-places/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [It's no stretch to picture me standing next to Al Pacino or Robert De Niro. Those are ethnic New York men. I'm an ethnic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/it-s-no-stretch-to-picture-me-standing-next-to-al-pacino-or-robert-de/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [I am to a fault an introspective person. But I am not a reflective person - except for a big mistake, and then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/i-am-to-a-fault-an-introspective-person-but-i-am-not-a-reflective/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [It is clear I was never the Pretty Girl. I had my two front teeth knocked out when I was 10 and didn't fix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/it-is-clear-i-was-never-the-pretty-girl-i-had-my-two-front-teeth/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [No more bare bodies in film scenes for me. For my children's sake, I must stop. The other kids at school keep throwing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/no-more-bare-bodies-in-film-scenes-for-me-for-my-children-s-sake-i/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [I'm tenacious, I think - I know - and I do also have a quality where if you tell me I can't do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/i-m-tenacious-i-think-i-know-and-i-do-also-have-a-quality-where-if/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [The way Hollywood portrays mothers - you're either all good and saint-like, or you're all bad. And I think the real honesty of motherhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/the-way-hollywood-portrays-mothers-you-re-either-all-good-and-saint/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [You can't go back again, even if you wanted to. But you can own your own life, mistakes and all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/you-can-t-go-back-again-even-if-you-wanted-to-but-you-can-own-your/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [I'm a little more extreme than a homebody. Unless there's some event I really have to go to, I don't like to leave my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/i-m-a-little-more-extreme-than-a-homebody-unless-there-s-some-event-i/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [Men who love their mothers treat women wonderfully. And they have enormous respect for women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/men-who-love-their-mothers-treat-women-wonderfully-and-they-have/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [My nickname was Skinabo - skin and bones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/my-nickname-was-skinabo-skin-and-bones/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [I remember my first friend who got sick. It was 1981, and the disease was called the gay cancer. I don't think the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/i-remember-my-first-friend-who-got-sick-it-was-1981-and-the-disease/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [I'm just curious, who's more fit to raise a child? A loving committed same-sex couple or an unmarried 15-year-old with no income and really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/i-m-just-curious-who-s-more-fit-to-raise-a-child-a-loving-committed/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) [Explore all 48 Ellen Barkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) ## 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": "Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ellen Barkin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-moment-as-an-actor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-moment-as-an-actor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/ellen-barkin-14080_actor_normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-mo_2461073.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Normal Heart' was my most transcendent moment as an actor.” — Ellen Barkin", "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": "Ellen Barkin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Normal Heart' was my most transcendent...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-moment-as-an-actor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/normal-heart-was-my-most-transcendent-moment-as-an-actor/#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 } } ] } ```