--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I watch actors destroy themselves by…" description: "\"I watch actors destroy themselves by trying to get it right.\" — Frank Langella" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png" --- # I watch actors destroy themselves by trying to get it right. ![“I watch actors destroy themselves by trying to get it right.” quote by Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png) > “I watch actors destroy themselves by trying to get it right.” [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists often self-destruct in pursuit of perfection, harming themselves while seeking authenticity. **In simple terms:** Chasing perfection can be self‑destructive. Key Takeaway Balance striving with self‑care. Themes art perfectionism self‑destruction Mood introspective serious Type interview reflective When to use this quote - film production - stage performance - creative writing - music recording Key Concepts psychology creativity mental health Questions to Reflect On - What limits do we set for ourselves? - How can we pursue excellence health? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Traders take a good system and destroy it by trying to make it into a perfect system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-prechter/traders-take-a-good-system-and-destroy-it-by-trying-to-make-it-into-a/) [Robert Prechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-prechter/) > [I like to watch actors while they are acting, how they hold their attention when so many people around are there to distract them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasika-dugal/i-like-to-watch-actors-while-they-are-acting-how-they-hold-their/) [Rasika Dugal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasika-dugal/) > [It's deeply personal to watch actors go to those dark places. It can be scary, so you channel them all your love and energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ryan/it-s-deeply-personal-to-watch-actors-go-to-those-dark-places-it-can/) [Amy Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ryan/) > [I think in a play it's wise to just sit back and watch other actors and be able to shape it from the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/i-think-in-a-play-it-s-wise-to-just-sit-back-and-watch-other-actors/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [I watch these actors who when you go to buy a pint of milk you see them smiling on the cover of 20 magazines.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunnam/i-watch-these-actors-who-when-you-go-to-buy-a-pint-of-milk-you-see/) [Charlie Hunnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunnam/) > [As a director, I also get to sit and watch actors and learn from them in a way that I don't get to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/as-a-director-i-also-get-to-sit-and-watch-actors-and-learn-from-them/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [I like some of the early silent films because I love to watch how actors had to play then. What would interest me today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-deneuve/i-like-some-of-the-early-silent-films-because-i-love-to-watch-how/) [Catherine Deneuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-deneuve/) > [In acting you do a lot of research. Audience watch Jet Li because of the fight. They watch other actors because they are funny.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jet-li/in-acting-you-do-a-lot-of-research-audience-watch-jet-li-because-of/) [Jet Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jet-li/) > [I don't watch anything of mine much. I haven't gone to drama school, or college, either. I just like to watch other actors in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-don-t-watch-anything-of-mine-much-i-haven-t-gone-to-drama-school-or/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I always find it funny when I watch actors talking about, 'I chose to do this part.' A lot of times it's 'you're lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-punch/i-always-find-it-funny-when-i-watch-actors-talking-about-i-chose-to/) [Lucy Punch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-punch/) > [I've done so much drama on television that it's very hard to sit down and watch other actors work. I find my interest is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nettles/i-ve-done-so-much-drama-on-television-that-it-s-very-hard-to-sit-down/) [John Nettles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nettles/) > [There are a lot of actors that I really love to watch, actors who I have fun watching - I think Johnny Depp is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-padalecki/there-are-a-lot-of-actors-that-i-really-love-to-watch-actors-who-i/) [Jared Padalecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-padalecki/) > [I didn't have much ambition, but I always had an idea in the back of my mind that I wanted to act. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-madsen/i-didn-t-have-much-ambition-but-i-always-had-an-idea-in-the-back-of/) [Michael Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-madsen/) > [A lot of the time, when I watch actors now, I think, 'I don't believe you.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lowden/a-lot-of-the-time-when-i-watch-actors-now-i-think-i-don-t-believe-you/) [Jack Lowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lowden/) > [Actors can be many things - vain, venal, self-serving, obnoxious, bullies - but all of the good ones are great storytellers. I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bettany/actors-can-be-many-things-vain-venal-self-serving-obnoxious-bullies-2/) [Paul Bettany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bettany/) ## More by Frank Langella > [What helped me most were my failures and slumps - when I couldn't get work, people weren't interested in me or had written me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/what-helped-me-most-were-my-failures-and-slumps-when-i-couldn-t-get/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [Actors want to show off and dance in front of you and get your love, because they don't think they're worthy of it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/actors-want-to-show-off-and-dance-in-front-of-you-and-get-your-love/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [Sometimes you have to get out of your own way as an actor. Young actors tend to over prepare sometimes and over think it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/sometimes-you-have-to-get-out-of-your-own-way-as-an-actor-young/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [But I think one of the reasons I tend to stay in the water most of the time is I distrust the comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/but-i-think-one-of-the-reasons-i-tend-to-stay-in-the-water-most-of/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [Intelligence is enormously sexy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/intelligence-is-enormously-sexy/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [All of our health is basically genetics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/all-of-our-health-is-basically-genetics/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [I have a list a mile long of faults that sometimes bring me to my knees in self-hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/i-have-a-list-a-mile-long-of-faults-that-sometimes-bring-me-to-my/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [A five-year-old Chinese girl knows more about football than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/a-five-year-old-chinese-girl-knows-more-about-football-than-i-do/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [I grew up in a household where everybody lived at the top of his lungs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-everybody-lived-at-the-top-of-his-lungs/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [There are no taboos in bed, and there shouldn't be any taboos in bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/there-are-no-taboos-in-bed-and-there-shouldn-t-be-any-taboos-in-bed/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [You can only lead by example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/you-can-only-lead-by-example/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [As a matter of fact, I rarely ever play myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/as-a-matter-of-fact-i-rarely-ever-play-myself/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [Vampires are sexy to a woman perhaps because the fantasy is similar to that of the man on the white horse sweeping her off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/vampires-are-sexy-to-a-woman-perhaps-because-the-fantasy-is-similar/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [But I firmly believe that you can't be emotionally free until you are emotionally committed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/but-i-firmly-believe-that-you-can-t-be-emotionally-free-until-you-are/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) > [When I closed in "King Lear" I went into a period of depression for about three weeks, and every actor I've talked to who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/when-i-closed-in-king-lear-i-went-into-a-period-of-depression-for/) [Frank Langella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) [Explore all 64 Frank Langella quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/) ## 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": "I watch actors destroy themselves by trying to get it right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Langella" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-trying-to-get-it-right/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-trying-to-get-it-right/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frank-langella-10624_actor_i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-try_3079878.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I watch actors destroy themselves by trying to get it right.” — Frank Langella", "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": "Frank Langella", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-langella/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I watch actors destroy themselves by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-trying-to-get-it-right/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-langella/i-watch-actors-destroy-themselves-by-trying-to-get-it-right/#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 } } ] } ```