---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every actor has to love and loathe the…"
description: "\"Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.\" — Ian McShane"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png"
---

#  Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.

![“Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.” quote by Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png)

> “Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.”

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

An actor must both cherish and resent the role they embody, reflecting the tension between personal identity and performance.

**In simple terms:** Actors love and hate their characters.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the conflict to deepen your craft.

Themes

acting identity conflict craft empathy

Mood

introspective passionate

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

- theatre rehearsals
- film sets
- character workshops
- role preparation
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

method acting character immersion psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your personal life influence your portrayal?
- What strategies keep you grounded?

A Different Perspective

Balancing love and loathing can blur boundaries, risking burnout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-love/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-plays-1325795/) [Loathe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loathe/) [Loathe Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loathe-character-5134738/) [Love Loathe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-loathe-2178994/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/)

## Related quotes

> [For some to love you, some must loathe you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/for-some-to-love-you-some-must-loathe-you/)

[J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/)

> [“Love it or loathe it, you can never leave it or lose it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/love-it-or-loathe-it-you-can-never-leave-it-or-lose-it/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [When it comes to the look of a character, it plays a very important role in shaping up a character's personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalsa-sharma/when-it-comes-to-the-look-of-a-character-it-plays-a-very-important/)

[Madalsa Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalsa-sharma/)

> [I don't think I've ever written about me. I'm not a character in any of my plays, except that boy, that silent boy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-written-about-me-i-m-not-a-character-in-any/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

> [“I can't get him out of my mind. I hate him, and I love him. I loathe him, and I lust him. I completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-beale/i-can-t-get-him-out-of-my-mind-i-hate-him-and-i-love-him-i-loathe-him/)

[Ashley Beale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-beale/)

> [“I live, love and loathe my characters. They stole my mind. They stole my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaya-ellman/i-live-love-and-loathe-my-characters-they-stole-my-mind-they-stole-my/)

[Amaya Ellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaya-ellman/)

> [I'm an actor. I love to act. That's my job. I'll leave the politicking to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/i-m-an-actor-i-love-to-act-that-s-my-job-i-ll-leave-the-politicking/)

[Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/)

> [Any actor would love to just pick up a script and be like, 'I can connect to this person, and I can see myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percelle-ascott/any-actor-would-love-to-just-pick-up-a-script-and-be-like-i-can/)

[Percelle Ascott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percelle-ascott/)

> [It would be difficult to break away from a set image, but as an actor, one would love to experiment with roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alok-nath/it-would-be-difficult-to-break-away-from-a-set-image-but-as-an-actor/)

[Alok Nath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alok-nath/)

> [As an actor, I would love to do an out and out comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huma-qureshi/as-an-actor-i-would-love-to-do-an-out-and-out-comedy/)

[Huma Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huma-qureshi/)

> [I truly love being an actor. I love it with all my heart and soul, and I hope that I get to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-klein/i-truly-love-being-an-actor-i-love-it-with-all-my-heart-and-soul-and/)

[Chris Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-klein/)

> [I really love Robert Duvall, who I think is maybe the best American actor. I love Robert Duvall because the ability that he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-forsythe/i-really-love-robert-duvall-who-i-think-is-maybe-the-best-american/)

[William Forsythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-forsythe/)

> [I'm an actor, so I love to be degraded!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-m-an-actor-so-i-love-to-be-degraded/)

[Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/)

> [A good actor must never be in love with anyone but himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anouilh/a-good-actor-must-never-be-in-love-with-anyone-but-himself/)

[Jean Anouilh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anouilh/)

> [I personally was driven to be an actor for the love of telling a story. It was very closely linked to being a reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/i-personally-was-driven-to-be-an-actor-for-the-love-of-telling-a/)

[Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/)

## More by Ian McShane

> [I had a bit of a male menopause. It started at the age of 18 and continued until I was 45.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/i-had-a-bit-of-a-male-menopause-it-started-at-the-age-of-18-and/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [When you're in your early 20s, you go ahead and do everything. And it's very hard to judge yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/when-you-re-in-your-early-20s-you-go-ahead-and-do-everything-and-it-s/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [The bad boy: always more fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/the-bad-boy-always-more-fun/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [What you do is, you just do the gig, enjoy, get on with it, and treat the rest as horse doodle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/what-you-do-is-you-just-do-the-gig-enjoy-get-on-with-it-and-treat-the/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [Theater is a dance of a different kind, a dance of rawness and characters stripped down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/theater-is-a-dance-of-a-different-kind-a-dance-of-rawness-and/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [As long as the cheques carry on coming in, and I'm enjoying my work, I shall continue acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/as-long-as-the-cheques-carry-on-coming-in-and-i-m-enjoying-my-work-i/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [I come from the liberal side of thinking: Better one guilty man should walk free than one innocent man found guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/i-come-from-the-liberal-side-of-thinking-better-one-guilty-man-should/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [I'm a child of the Sixties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/i-m-a-child-of-the-sixties/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [I don't remember my first two marriages... the details are very sketchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/i-don-t-remember-my-first-two-marriages-the-details-are-very-sketchy/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [The shrimp was lousy and the champagne tasted like water \[at the Golden Globes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/the-shrimp-was-lousy-and-the-champagne-tasted-like-water-at-the/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [Bosses will tell you they are looking for something different but they're not, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/bosses-will-tell-you-they-are-looking-for-something-different-but/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [My dad was a football player - a soccer player - for Manchester United, and I loved playing football, but I also happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/my-dad-was-a-football-player-a-soccer-player-for-manchester-united/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [I mean, I'm an actor. I do what comes along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/i-mean-i-m-an-actor-i-do-what-comes-along/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

> [You don't particularly want to stay close to your ex-wife. Or why would she be your ex-wife?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/you-don-t-particularly-want-to-stay-close-to-your-ex-wife-or-why/)

[Ian McShane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

[Explore all 15 Ian McShane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/)

## 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": "Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ian McShane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-character-he-plays/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-character-he-plays/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ian-mcshane-31196_actor_every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-c_3061005.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every actor has to love and loathe the character he plays.” — Ian McShane",
                "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": "Ian McShane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcshane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every actor has to love and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-character-he-plays/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcshane/every-actor-has-to-love-and-loathe-the-character-he-plays/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
