--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a character actress, plain and…" description: "\"I'm a character actress, plain and simple...Who can worry about a career? Have a life. Movie stars have careers - actors work, and then they don't work..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/frances-mcdormand-3814_career_i-m-a-character-actress-plain-and-simple_670839.jpg" --- # I'm a character actress, plain and simple...Who can worry… ![“I'm a character actress, plain and simple...Who can worry about a career? Have a life. Movie stars have careers - actors work, and then they don't work, and then they work again.” quote by Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/frances-mcdormand-3814_career_i-m-a-character-actress-plain-and-simple_670839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/frances-mcdormand-3814_career_i-m-a-character-actress-plain-and-simple_670839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90e/frances-mcdormand-3814_career_i-m-a-character-actress-plain-and-simple_670839.jpg) > “I'm a character actress, plain and simple...Who can worry about a career? Have a life. Movie stars have careers - actors work, and then they don't work, and then they work again.” [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes living beyond a career, viewing acting as a series of work cycles rather than a linear path. **In simple terms:** Life matters more than a steady career; work comes and goes. Key Takeaway Prioritize life, not just career continuity. Themes life balance career fluidity Mood thoughtful grounded Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - project selection - financial planning - skill diversification - mental health Key Concepts non‑linear career work‑life integration personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - How do you define success beyond work? - What strategies help you maintain life‑career balance? A Different Perspective Balancing work and life can be challenging and may affect financial stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors-work/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Career Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-life/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Careers Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers-actors-234164/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Plain and simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plain-and-simple/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stars Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-careers-2226492/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worry Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-career-1495946/) ## Related quotes > [Movie stars have careers - actors work, and then they don't work, and then they work again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/movie-stars-have-careers-actors-work-and-then-they-don-t-work-and/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Who can worry about a career? Have a life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/who-can-worry-about-a-career-have-a-life/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I never worry for my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-wildenstein/i-never-worry-for-my-career/) [Jocelyn Wildenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-wildenstein/) > [I will always worry about where my career is going and am I any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-will-always-worry-about-where-my-career-is-going-and-am-i-any-good/) [Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/) > [Death marks our careers as actors - it's often what flings us back into unemployment, the unknown, the insecurity that is the true constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lela-loren/death-marks-our-careers-as-actors-it-s-often-what-flings-us-back-into/) [Lela Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lela-loren/) > [I know a lot of actors who started out as musicians and have very successful careers as actors, but most people don't know them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-springfield/i-know-a-lot-of-actors-who-started-out-as-musicians-and-have-very/) [Rick Springfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-springfield/) > [The person I am is who I am. My life is my career, my career is my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dane/the-person-i-am-is-who-i-am-my-life-is-my-career-my-career-is-my-life/) [Eric Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-dane/) > [Don't make your career be your life. let it be your passion. Let it bring you pleasure. But don't let it become your identity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/don-t-make-your-career-be-your-life-let-it-be-your-passion-let-it/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [When you have a song on the radio your career and your life changes maybe for the better and maybe for the not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loudon-wainwright-iii/when-you-have-a-song-on-the-radio-your-career-and-your-life-changes/) [Loudon Wainwright III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loudon-wainwright-iii/) > [I think the only reason I've had the career life that I've had is that someone told me some secrets early on about living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-think-the-only-reason-i-ve-had-the-career-life-that-i-ve-had-is/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [When I first entered the corporate world, doing good and making money were seen as separate and contradictory threads. Challenging that notion set my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schulman/when-i-first-entered-the-corporate-world-doing-good-and-making-money/) [Dan Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schulman/) > [My career after 'Life Unexpected' took a really big dip, and I realized you have no control as an actor over the process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/my-career-after-life-unexpected-took-a-really-big-dip-and-i-realized/) [Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/) > [Film is an amazing art form, but so is life. When your career and your life can work together, and one can support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/film-is-an-amazing-art-form-but-so-is-life-when-your-career-and-your/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I had someone very close to me say to me that hopefully I’ll have many more ups and downs, not in just my career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-kitsch/i-had-someone-very-close-to-me-say-to-me-that-hopefully-i-ll-have/) [Taylor Kitsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-kitsch/) > [Career is a part of my life... But my life is main for me, I want to die in peace... by making people laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/career-is-a-part-of-my-life-but-my-life-is-main-for-me-i-want-to-die/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) ## More by Frances McDormand > [There's only two givens with choosing acting as a profession: one is you will always be unemployed, always, and it doesn't matter how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/there-s-only-two-givens-with-choosing-acting-as-a-profession-one-is/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I don't think of myself as a movie star and I can pretty easily convince other people that I'm not a movie star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-movie-star-and-i-can-pretty-easily/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Guess what? I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/guess-what-i-am-an-ordinary-person/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [There is simply too much of my life that is involved in my work that I couldn't replicate in any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/there-is-simply-too-much-of-my-life-that-is-involved-in-my-work-that/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I think that cosmetic enhancements in my profession are just an occupational hazard. But I think, more culturally, I'm interested in starting the conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-think-that-cosmetic-enhancements-in-my-profession-are-just-an/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I was completely naive about the business of being an actor. My family didn't go to the theater or to the movies. We watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-was-completely-naive-about-the-business-of-being-an-actor-my-family/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [If, when I leave this earth, I'm remembered for 'Fargo,' so be it. But I think old Marge Gunderson is gonna get a run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/if-when-i-leave-this-earth-i-m-remembered-for-fargo-so-be-it-but-i/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I never read books - and still don't read books - to develop them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-never-read-books-and-still-don-t-read-books-to-develop-them/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I'm not really that interested in going back to playing small supporting roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-m-not-really-that-interested-in-going-back-to-playing-small/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I'm trained in the theater, and acting, for me, is about the imaginative life I create for myself, not about basing it on something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-m-trained-in-the-theater-and-acting-for-me-is-about-the-imaginative/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [No actor has complete freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/no-actor-has-complete-freedom/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Long-format television is a better way to tell a female story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/long-format-television-is-a-better-way-to-tell-a-female-story/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Female characters in literature are full. They're messy: they've got runny noses and burp and belch. Unfortunately, in film, female characters don't often have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/female-characters-in-literature-are-full-they-re-messy-they-ve-got/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [At least three times a week, I'm approached by someone who says something about 'Fargo.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/at-least-three-times-a-week-i-m-approached-by-someone-who-says/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I would disagree that America is any more racist or ridiculous than anywhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-would-disagree-that-america-is-any-more-racist-or-ridiculous-than/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) [Explore all 121 Frances McDormand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) ## More Career quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) [Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/) > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [You can have a career and kids who love you. But you have to nurture yourself and find a way to be fulfilled so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-reitman/you-can-have-a-career-and-kids-who-love-you-but-you-have-to-nurture/) [Catherine Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reitman/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Even though I'm already successful and have a career, it is always good to have your eggs in more than one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/even-though-i-m-already-successful-and-have-a-career-it-is-always/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) [Browse all 11,387 Career quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm a character actress, plain and simple...Who can worry about a career? Have a life. 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