--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've spent all my life playing roles that…" description: "\"I've spent all my life playing roles that illustrious people have played before me.\" — Geraldine McEwan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg" --- # I've spent all my life playing roles that illustrious… ![“I've spent all my life playing roles that illustrious people have played before me.” quote by Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg) > “I've spent all my life playing roles that illustrious people have played before me.” [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on a career of portraying iconic roles, indicating a legacy of artistic tradition. **In simple terms:** Played many iconic roles. Key Takeaway Embrace artistic legacy and mentorship. Themes theatre legacy artistic tradition Mood nostalgic proud Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - stage productions - acting workshops - film roles Key Concepts identity heritage Questions to Reflect On - Which role defines you most? - How to mentor emerging actors? A Different Perspective Risk of being typecast in similar roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Playing roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-roles/) ## Related quotes > [History is not a procession of illustrious people. It's about what happens to a people. Millions of anonymous people is what history is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-is-not-a-procession-of-illustrious-people-it-s-about-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've spent my life playing music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/i-ve-spent-my-life-playing-music/) [Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/) > [I spent my whole life playing sports and training and pushing myself to the limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-spent-my-whole-life-playing-sports-and-training-and-pushing-myself/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [“spent my whole life working toward didn’t exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/spent-my-whole-life-working-toward-didn-t-exist/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [I'm a poet, and I spent my life in poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-m-a-poet-and-i-spent-my-life-in-poetry/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Everyone knew I was anti-marriage. I'd spent my life saying it was something I neither wanted nor needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/everyone-knew-i-was-anti-marriage-i-d-spent-my-life-saying-it-was/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) > [I loved fun. I spent my whole life in search of fun. I have not given up that part of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-loved-fun-i-spent-my-whole-life-in-search-of-fun-i-have-not-given/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I have spent my whole life educating myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-wilton/i-have-spent-my-whole-life-educating-myself/) [Penelope Wilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-wilton/) > [I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-now-see-that-i-spent-most-of-my-life-in-doing-neither-what-i-ought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not spitting in my own soup, I love having spent my life thinking about these things-but you don't have to know anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/i-m-not-spitting-in-my-own-soup-i-love-having-spent-my-life-thinking/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [I spent much of my life hiding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevyn-aucoin/i-spent-much-of-my-life-hiding/) [Kevyn Aucoin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevyn-aucoin/) > [I would love to keep playing roles where I get to inspire young women, and I get to uplift them and tell their stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-reid/i-would-love-to-keep-playing-roles-where-i-get-to-inspire-young-women/) [Storm Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-reid/) > [It's fun playing two roles. The roles provide a wonderful range of emotions. Stuart is childlike and sensitive. Adam is ruthless, outrageous. He's flamboyant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-canary/it-s-fun-playing-two-roles-the-roles-provide-a-wonderful-range-of/) [David Canary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-canary/) > [I've been fortunate to play many different types of characters thus far. However, I really enjoy playing roles that are different than who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-holden/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-play-many-different-types-of-characters-thus/) [Gina Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-holden/) > [All of us are playing roles, and there's nothing wrong with playing roles because we have to live in this world - the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/all-of-us-are-playing-roles-and-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-playing/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) ## More by Geraldine McEwan > [People do stop me a lot, and what is really very rewarding is that the ages of the people who stop me vary so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/people-do-stop-me-a-lot-and-what-is-really-very-rewarding-is-that-the/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [When I was asked to play 'Miss Marple,' I was given the Kevin Elyot script for 'The Body in the Library.' I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/when-i-was-asked-to-play-miss-marple-i-was-given-the-kevin-elyot/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [A book becomes something else once it's dramatized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/a-book-becomes-something-else-once-it-s-dramatized/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [I feel I could be walking down the street, and if somebody talked to me, I could just slot into 'Miss Marple' and know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/i-feel-i-could-be-walking-down-the-street-and-if-somebody-talked-to/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > ['Miss Marple' enjoys every minute of her existence and is not worried about getting old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/miss-marple-enjoys-every-minute-of-her-existence-and-is-not-worried/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [Quite honestly, I think that if you are making a lot of television programs with a central character, then ultimately it can become boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/quite-honestly-i-think-that-if-you-are-making-a-lot-of-television/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [During the war, my mother used to take me to the local repertory theatre on a Monday night, and we used to get two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/during-the-war-my-mother-used-to-take-me-to-the-local-repertory/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) [Explore all 8 Geraldine McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) ## More Before quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [There aren't traditions of freedom in a place like Iraq. They're going to have to come to grips with a concept that they hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/there-aren-t-traditions-of-freedom-in-a-place-like-iraq-they-re-going/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [I don't like just traveling in for a short time. I've done that before, because sometimes you work for magazines and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sacco/i-don-t-like-just-traveling-in-for-a-short-time-i-ve-done-that-before/) [Joe Sacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sacco/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/) [Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) Joe Pitts > [I've been told before, and I tend to believe it, I'm not like most actresses out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-kelly/i-ve-been-told-before-and-i-tend-to-believe-it-i-m-not-like-most/) [Moira Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-kelly/) > [Before I got addicted to comedy, I was seriously thinking about playing tennis full time. I joined the tennis team and played with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/before-i-got-addicted-to-comedy-i-was-seriously-thinking-about/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [But even before I was in the military, I was extremely jumpy when asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/but-even-before-i-was-in-the-military-i-was-extremely-jumpy-when/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [When I'm making stuff, the thing that excites me most is not the result, but the process and trying to do something I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/when-i-m-making-stuff-the-thing-that-excites-me-most-is-not-the/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [I've pulled ticks off of me before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-ve-pulled-ticks-off-of-me-before/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [You know, before I would think, my cab driver hates me. Now I think my limo driver hates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/you-know-before-i-would-think-my-cab-driver-hates-me-now-i-think-my/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) Browse all 4,123 Before quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've spent all my life playing roles that illustrious people have played before me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Geraldine McEwan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-that-illustrious-people-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Before" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-that-illustrious-people-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/325/geraldine-mcewan-48374_before_i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-tha_2017947.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've spent all my life playing roles that illustrious people have played before me.” — Geraldine McEwan", "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": "Geraldine McEwan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've spent all my life playing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-that-illustrious-people-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/i-ve-spent-all-my-life-playing-roles-that-illustrious-people-have/#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 } } ] } ```