--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always want a challenge. My whole…" description: "\"I always want a challenge. My whole career has been based on trying to avoid female characters that don't get to do anything. And it's really hard to a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/geena-davis-2583_careers_i-always-want-a-challenge-my-whole-caree_2675451.jpg" --- # I always want a challenge. My whole career has been based… ![“I always want a challenge. My whole career has been based on trying to avoid female characters that don't get to do anything. And it's really hard to avoid those.” quote by Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/geena-davis-2583_careers_i-always-want-a-challenge-my-whole-caree_2675451.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/geena-davis-2583_careers_i-always-want-a-challenge-my-whole-caree_2675451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/geena-davis-2583_careers_i-always-want-a-challenge-my-whole-caree_2675451.jpg) > “I always want a challenge. My whole career has been based on trying to avoid female characters that don't get to do anything. And it's really hard to avoid those.” [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges a pattern of avoiding substantive female roles, recognizing the difficulty of breaking that habit. **In simple terms:** Avoiding meaningful female characters is challenging. Key Takeaway Actively seek and support strong female roles. Themes gender equality career choices representation challenge industry norms Mood motivational critical empowering Type social professional When to use this quote - casting decisions - industry bias - personal growth Key Concepts role selection advocacy career strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can you influence casting decisions? - What strategies help you break limiting patterns? A Different Perspective Changing habits requires systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-character/) [Female characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-characters/) ## Related quotes > [That is definitely the biggest challenge, career and family, and learning how to balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granger-smith/that-is-definitely-the-biggest-challenge-career-and-family-and/) [Granger Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granger-smith/) > [The creators of kids' media had no idea they were leaving out that many female characters. They were in utter shock that the worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/the-creators-of-kids-media-had-no-idea-they-were-leaving-out-that/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [So many female characters are the girlfriend of the person having the adventure. I want to play baseball, I don't want to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/so-many-female-characters-are-the-girlfriend-of-the-person-having-the/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Any movie you see, if Tom Cruise is in an action movie or whatever it is, The Avengers, there's going to be a kick-ass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/any-movie-you-see-if-tom-cruise-is-in-an-action-movie-or-whatever-it/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Because I had some roles that resonated with women, I immediately noticed that there were far more male characters than female characters in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/because-i-had-some-roles-that-resonated-with-women-i-immediately/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [We're showing kids a world that is very scantily populated with women and female characters. They should see female characters taking up half the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/we-re-showing-kids-a-world-that-is-very-scantily-populated-with-women/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [My point was the world is missing female characters. A lot of times there is one female character, maybe even a cool one, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/my-point-was-the-world-is-missing-female-characters-a-lot-of-times/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [My daughter was a toddler. I had no idea there was anything wrong with kids' media.I started watching little preschool shows with her or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/my-daughter-was-a-toddler-i-had-no-idea-there-was-anything-wrong-with/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [This is really funny, but we did a study of the occupations of female characters on TV, and there are so many female forensic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/this-is-really-funny-but-we-did-a-study-of-the-occupations-of-female/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [My whole theory about why I couldn’t find any creators who realized they were leaving out female characters is because they were raised on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/my-whole-theory-about-why-i-couldn-t-find-any-creators-who-realized/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [The ratio of male to female characters in movies has been exactly the same since 1946. So if you've ever had people say, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/the-ratio-of-male-to-female-characters-in-movies-has-been-exactly-the/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I just started asking my friends if they had noticed. None of them - feminists, mothers, daughters - noticed until I pointed it out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-just-started-asking-my-friends-if-they-had-noticed-none-of-them/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Women are half the population of the world, and yet there are so few female characters on-screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/women-are-half-the-population-of-the-world-and-yet-there-are-so-few/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I immediately noticed there were far more male characters than female characters in the programs, even now, in the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-immediately-noticed-there-were-far-more-male-characters-than-female/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I don't think male characters are as one-dimensional as female characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-don-t-think-male-characters-are-as-one-dimensional-as-female/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) ## More by Geena Davis > [In advertisements for your favorite products, are women denigrated or objectified in some way? All of that is important. I would rewrite my kids'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/in-advertisements-for-your-favorite-products-are-women-denigrated-or/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Women are in many ways second-class citizens in the United States in 2016, because of the way that we're portrayed in popular culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/women-are-in-many-ways-second-class-citizens-in-the-united-states-in/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Rosie knows how to play ball. She's an athlete, for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/rosie-knows-how-to-play-ball-she-s-an-athlete-for-sure/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I'm very competitive, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-m-very-competitive-i-think/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Film roles really did start to dry up when I got into my 40s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/film-roles-really-did-start-to-dry-up-when-i-got-into-my-40s/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [You can't snap your fingers, and suddenly half of Congress is women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/you-can-t-snap-your-fingers-and-suddenly-half-of-congress-is-women/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [On film, you can't do it over again. And you do have to stop shooting at a certain point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/on-film-you-can-t-do-it-over-again-and-you-do-have-to-stop-shooting/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I remember when 'A League of Their Own' was coming out in '92, when I was doing interviews, it seemed like every interviewer at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-remember-when-a-league-of-their-own-was-coming-out-in-92-when-i-was/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Behind the cameras, there's a different problem, which I think is not unconscious gender bias. It's probably categorized more as conscious gender bias. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/behind-the-cameras-there-s-a-different-problem-which-i-think-is-not/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I was so tall in high school that I was convinced that I was uncoordinated and not athletic. I was terrified to play any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-was-so-tall-in-high-school-that-i-was-convinced-that-i-was/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [We all know the huge problem there is with entertainment in general leaving out women. Especially as actors, we know there are fewer great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/we-all-know-the-huge-problem-there-is-with-entertainment-in-general/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [ That's the really frustrating thing, but also the fixable thing. My theory why no one notices is that that's the \[women's roles\] ratio thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/that-s-the-really-frustrating-thing-but-also-the-fixable-thing-my/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I watch very little television, actually. There's so many shows I want to watch and then I know I'll get hooked and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-watch-very-little-television-actually-there-s-so-many-shows-i-want/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I never intended to become a data head. I could never have predicted it would play such an important role in my life. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/i-never-intended-to-become-a-data-head-i-could-never-have-predicted/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [They called and said, "I know we're not supposed to even tell you, but you've been offered to play the President." And I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/they-called-and-said-i-know-we-re-not-supposed-to-even-tell-you-but/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) [Explore all 159 Geena Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) ## More Careers quotes > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. That's also why I decided against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nils-frahm/the-only-thing-i-try-to-watch-carefully-is-that-i-never-lose-the-love/) [Nils Frahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nils-frahm/) > [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/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [Everything I've been through, everything I'm about to go through in my career and my life, if my family wasn't with me and didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-malone/everything-i-ve-been-through-everything-i-m-about-to-go-through-in-my/) [Karl Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-malone/) > [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/) [Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/) Browse all 6,154 Careers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always want a challenge. My whole career has been based on trying to avoid female characters that don't get to do anything. 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