--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. Unless…" description: "\"'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. Unless you're called Elisabeth Moss, stuff like this only comes along once in your career.\" — Jared Harris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/jared-harris-10751_act_mad-men-is-a-hard-act-to-follow-unless-y_194348.png" --- # 'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. Unless you're called… ![“'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. Unless you're called Elisabeth Moss, stuff like this only comes along once in your career.” quote by Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/jared-harris-10751_act_mad-men-is-a-hard-act-to-follow-unless-y_194348.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/jared-harris-10751_act_mad-men-is-a-hard-act-to-follow-unless-y_194348.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/jared-harris-10751_act_mad-men-is-a-hard-act-to-follow-unless-y_194348.png) > “'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. Unless you're called Elisabeth Moss, stuff like this only comes along once in your career.” [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the rarity of a standout role that defines an actor’s career, implying such opportunities are scarce and memorable. **In simple terms:** Rare roles define careers. Key Takeaway Seek roles that showcase unique talent. Themes career acting uniqueness Mood reflective aspirational Type inspirational career‑advice When to use this quote - auditioning - career planning - industry networking Key Concepts typecasting career-defining moments Questions to Reflect On - How can you prepare for a rare opportunity? - What defines a career‑defining role for you? A Different Perspective Not every role will be career‑defining; timing matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Mad men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-men/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [I'll never forget the first time Elisabeth Moss kissed me on screen. It was season one of the West Wing and she had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dule-hill/i-ll-never-forget-the-first-time-elisabeth-moss-kissed-me-on-screen/) [Dule Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dule-hill/) > [Art is long, life short, judgment difficult, opportunity transient. To act is easy, to think is hard; to act according to our thought is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/art-is-long-life-short-judgment-difficult-opportunity-transient-to/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It's hard to act with just your jaw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/it-s-hard-to-act-with-just-your-jaw/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [It's just poetry, beauty and love. How hard can that be to act?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wright/it-s-just-poetry-beauty-and-love-how-hard-can-that-be-to-act/) [Robin Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wright/) > [You ain't as hard as you act. When I GPS 'pussy,' I end up at your welcome mat...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vakill/you-ain-t-as-hard-as-you-act-when-i-gps-pussy-i-end-up-at-your/) Vakill > [To act is easy, to think is hard; to act according to our thought is troublesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/to-act-is-easy-to-think-is-hard-to-act-according-to-our-thought-is/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Once a boy shows you the stars, they’re a hard act to follow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-davis/once-a-boy-shows-you-the-stars-they-re-a-hard-act-to-follow/) Claire Davis > [I told God I'd be back in a second. Man it's so hard not to act reckless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-told-god-i-d-be-back-in-a-second-man-it-s-so-hard-not-to-act/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [I'm a hard act to follow, because when I'm done, I take the microphone with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-a-hard-act-to-follow-because-when-i-m-done-i-take-the-microphone/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [After 'Mad Men,' I got offered various types of uptight Englishmen, which I wasn't interested in doing. I didn't want to repeat myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/after-mad-men-i-got-offered-various-types-of-uptight-englishmen-which/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [“Here I want to see those men of hard voice. Those that break horses and dominate rivers; those men of sonorous skeleton who sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/here-i-want-to-see-those-men-of-hard-voice-those-that-break-horses/) [Federico García Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/) > [I feel like the men who end up in my videos, their biggest crime is being lonely. They're not violent, they're not scary people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/i-feel-like-the-men-who-end-up-in-my-videos-their-biggest-crime-is/) [Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/) > [We black men have a hard enough time in our own struggle for justice, and already have enough enemies as it is, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-black-men-have-a-hard-enough-time-in-our-own-struggle-for-justice/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Men cry hard but they don't cry long...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/men-cry-hard-but-they-don-t-cry-long/) Frenchqueen > [I miss 'Mad Men,' but I can't complain because I got a lot of public awareness from it, and it led on to film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/i-miss-mad-men-but-i-can-t-complain-because-i-got-a-lot-of-public/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) ## More by Jared Harris > [Most of what I knew of George VI was from watching 'The King's Speech!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/most-of-what-i-knew-of-george-vi-was-from-watching-the-king-s-speech/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [When preparing for a role, a month is a luxury. Sometimes you've maybe got two weeks before you start on something. So you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/when-preparing-for-a-role-a-month-is-a-luxury-sometimes-you-ve-maybe/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [When you see natural disasters caught on film you realize how well they had been imagined by Hollywood for such a long time. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/when-you-see-natural-disasters-caught-on-film-you-realize-how-well/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [I wasn't aware of my dad being an actor when I was young. I remember there was an Australian children's entertainer on television called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/i-wasn-t-aware-of-my-dad-being-an-actor-when-i-was-young-i-remember/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [Matt Weiner is an amazing writer. He's one of the best, greatest writers that's ever written for television - or just written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/matt-weiner-is-an-amazing-writer-he-s-one-of-the-best-greatest/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [I keep mementos from everything I've done. I've got my cab driver's license from 'Happiness.' I've got a pair of glasses and a belt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/i-keep-mementos-from-everything-i-ve-done-i-ve-got-my-cab-driver-s/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [Here in England, my becoming an actor was considered unimaginative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/here-in-england-my-becoming-an-actor-was-considered-unimaginative/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [The scariest monsters are human beings and what we will do to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/the-scariest-monsters-are-human-beings-and-what-we-will-do-to-each/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [One of the reasons why good actors are good is that they have poor impulse control. If you put them in front of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/one-of-the-reasons-why-good-actors-are-good-is-that-they-have-poor/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [It's important to keep auditioning. If you're auditioning for something, you're auditioning for a role that people can't see you in and you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/it-s-important-to-keep-auditioning-if-you-re-auditioning-for/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [It used to be that you could do these nuggets of a movie and it would attach itself in terms of credibility to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/it-used-to-be-that-you-could-do-these-nuggets-of-a-movie-and-it-would/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [If you want to do your version, go off and write it. You bring your knowledge to it, and you can use that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/if-you-want-to-do-your-version-go-off-and-write-it-you-bring-your/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [I've done quite a lot of dying on shows and in movies. To have a good death scene though - come on, it's brilliant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/i-ve-done-quite-a-lot-of-dying-on-shows-and-in-movies-to-have-a-good/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [In the old patrician world there was a custom once a week you had to eat a meal with your slaves and get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/in-the-old-patrician-world-there-was-a-custom-once-a-week-you-had-to/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [I met Peter O'Toole for the first time at Dad's memorial service because my Dad didn't hang around with people like that when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/i-met-peter-o-toole-for-the-first-time-at-dad-s-memorial-service/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) [Explore all 63 Jared Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) ## More Act quotes > [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/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/) [Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/) [Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/) [Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/) Browse all 1,802 Act quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. 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