--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not in a position where I get to pick…" description: "\"I'm not in a position where I get to pick and choose roles. I usually go on auditions in long lines and embarrass myself in front of casting directors,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/henry-rollins-170_auditions_i-m-not-in-a-position-where-i-get-to-pic_1374885.png" --- # I'm not in a position where I get to pick and choose… ![“I'm not in a position where I get to pick and choose roles. I usually go on auditions in long lines and embarrass myself in front of casting directors, and with a lump in my throat and my ears burning, I walk past reception and smirking actors as I go to the parking garage and go back on the…” quote by Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/henry-rollins-170_auditions_i-m-not-in-a-position-where-i-get-to-pic_1374885.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/henry-rollins-170_auditions_i-m-not-in-a-position-where-i-get-to-pic_1374885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/henry-rollins-170_auditions_i-m-not-in-a-position-where-i-get-to-pic_1374885.png) > “I'm not in a position where I get to pick and choose roles. I usually go on auditions in long lines and embarrass myself in front of casting directors, and with a lump in my throat and my ears burning, I walk past reception and smirking actors as I go to the parking garage and go back on the highway.” [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## 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 describes feeling trapped in a system where they must audition without choice, leading to anxiety and self‑consciousness in professional settings. **In simple terms:** Feeling stuck in a job with no control over roles. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and focus on personal growth. Themes career anxiety performance self‑esteem industry Mood nervous determined reflective Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - audition process - career transition - public speaking - networking Key Concepts psychology impostor syndrome resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can you reclaim agency in a constrained environment? - What small steps can reduce performance anxiety? A Different Perspective Limited agency can cause chronic stress and burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Auditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditions/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Reception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reception/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I'm being called in by all the great casting directors. It's no longer based on a headshot. 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I felt like the biggest outsider there ever was; that I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-can-remember-getting-rejected-systematically-by-casting-directors/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [My agent in Sweden used to send off interview tapes but I decided to take it upon myself and come to London to visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-vikander/my-agent-in-sweden-used-to-send-off-interview-tapes-but-i-decided-to/) [Alicia Vikander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-vikander/) > [One of the great things about this cast is that we've been able to take actors of relatively the same age group that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/one-of-the-great-things-about-this-cast-is-that-we-ve-been-able-to/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [I think that what 'Oz' did is it spawned a great generation of television production. But people know its place in television and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-think-that-what-oz-did-is-it-spawned-a-great-generation-of/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [It is so great to go to a casting director and have them wanting to talk about the show that you are in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-emmanuel/it-is-so-great-to-go-to-a-casting-director-and-have-them-wanting-to/) [Nathalie Emmanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-emmanuel/) > [As I continue through my acting career I tend to wish I were a little shorter and a few pounds lighter so casting directors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-preston-rogers/as-i-continue-through-my-acting-career-i-tend-to-wish-i-were-a-little/) [James Preston Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-preston-rogers/) > [People who work with me think I should cut my hair. 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But casting directors and agents in the U.K.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hazell/my-ability-to-model-does-not-have-an-effect-on-my-ability-to-be-an/) [Keeley Hazell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hazell/) > [Villains are always the best roles, but that meant that for months afterwards, all I got offered were absolute cads and bounders and really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/villains-are-always-the-best-roles-but-that-meant-that-for-months/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [My first soldier role was in 'Flags of Our Fathers.' Casting director Jay Binder saw that movie and was looking for soldiers for 'Journey's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stark-sands/my-first-soldier-role-was-in-flags-of-our-fathers-casting-director/) [Stark Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stark-sands/) ## More by Henry Rollins > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. 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