--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's really hard to copy another actor…" description: "\"It's really hard to copy another actor and be successful. In fact, that's usually the reason people are not good, because they're copying something the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg" --- # It's really hard to copy another actor and be successful… ![“It's really hard to copy another actor and be successful. In fact, that's usually the reason people are not good, because they're copying something they've seen, but, for some reason with their face and their body, it doesn't work.” quote by Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg) > “It's really hard to copy another actor and be successful. In fact, that's usually the reason people are not good, because they're copying something they've seen, but, for some reason with their face and their body, it doesn't work.” [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imitation without authenticity leads to failure; success requires original expression. **In simple terms:** Copying others rarely works. Key Takeaway Cultivate your own style. Themes authenticity creativity performance Mood reflective determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - acting auditions - personal branding - creative projects Key Concepts identity originality self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How can you develop a unique voice? - What aspects of your craft can you own? A Different Perspective Imitation can be useful for learning, but not for mastery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-successful-334278/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Being successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy/) [Copy Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy-actor-4389601/) [Copying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copying/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Copying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-copying-2150575/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I was never good at copying. I was better at doing my own thing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angelo-batio/i-was-never-good-at-copying-i-was-better-at-doing-my-own-thing/) [Michael Angelo Batio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angelo-batio/) > [Copying is an art in itself, demanding the greatest technical ability, especially in watercolour. However well done, the copy invariably lacks that nascent, ineffable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/copying-is-an-art-in-itself-demanding-the-greatest-technical-ability/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Never draw anything you can copy, never copy anything you can trace, never trace anything you can cut out and paste up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-wood/never-draw-anything-you-can-copy-never-copy-anything-you-can-trace/) [Wally Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-wood/) > [At the school I attended, the clergyman who ran the cathedral school in Shanghai would give lines to the boys as a punishment. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/at-the-school-i-attended-the-clergyman-who-ran-the-cathedral-school/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [“Why escape your intended purpose by copying and trying to be someone else? You will discover who you were meant to be only after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/why-escape-your-intended-purpose-by-copying-and-trying-to-be-someone/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Why would anybody hire a someone who is copying someone else when he can get the original one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kk/why-would-anybody-hire-a-someone-who-is-copying-someone-else-when-he/) [KK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kk/) > [Only God creates. The rest of us just copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/only-god-creates-the-rest-of-us-just-copy/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [It's a question of not copying the masters, to look for something, good or bad, for oneself. To enter this liberated state of mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/it-s-a-question-of-not-copying-the-masters-to-look-for-something-good/) [Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/) > [“When you are gunning to be like other people, you are foolishly repeating their mistakes, and the worst of it all is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/when-you-are-gunning-to-be-like-other-people-you-are-foolishly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [You've got to be able to copy things faithfully before you can deviate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/you-ve-got-to-be-able-to-copy-things-faithfully-before-you-can-deviate/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [Copying good things of others, Doesn't mean...you are an imitator. It also shows that you are having good Learning Skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashank-rayal/copying-good-things-of-others-doesn-t-mean-you-are-an-imitator-it/) [Shashank Rayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashank-rayal/) > [If you can't imitate him, don't copy him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/if-you-can-t-imitate-him-don-t-copy-him/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [“In the movie La La Land, Mia has to put on a brave face at auditions, then put on her best clothes and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-green/in-the-movie-la-la-land-mia-has-to-put-on-a-brave-face-at-auditions/) [Bill Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-green/) > [The trap for an actor is that you become too successful at what you're trying to do, and you can find yourself stuck there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/the-trap-for-an-actor-is-that-you-become-too-successful-at-what-you/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) > [Being an actor and a successful one at that, is the stuff fairy-tales are made of, as you reach unimaginable heights. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-bachchan-nanda/being-an-actor-and-a-successful-one-at-that-is-the-stuff-fairy-tales/) [Shweta Bachchan Nanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-bachchan-nanda/) ## More by Jesse Eisenberg > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [People think, 'You're an actor, you can afford clothes,' but I just try to take the clothes from the movie, which makes the selecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/people-think-you-re-an-actor-you-can-afford-clothes-but-i-just-try-to/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Nothing is harder than working with an actor who doesn't take it seriously or show up in the same way that you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/nothing-is-harder-than-working-with-an-actor-who-doesn-t-take-it/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [When you take on a role you try to do as much as possible beforehand to get your mind into it. Just to prepare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/when-you-take-on-a-role-you-try-to-do-as-much-as-possible-beforehand/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I was doing interviews for several months about the movie, and people would always ask me, Do you have a Facebook page? And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-was-doing-interviews-for-several-months-about-the-movie-and-people/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I cried every day of first grade. In class. Which meant I ended up getting comfortable emoting in a place where it wasn't the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-cried-every-day-of-first-grade-in-class-which-meant-i-ended-up/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [As an actor, you try to bring as much of yourself to a part to try and create a feeling of authenticity and emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/as-an-actor-you-try-to-bring-as-much-of-yourself-to-a-part-to-try-and/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I often think if you have time to sit around the house feeling bad for yourself, you have time to tutor a child. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-often-think-if-you-have-time-to-sit-around-the-house-feeling-bad/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [People ask me what my hobbies are in interviews, and I always say biking. But all I bike for is to get to rehearsal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/people-ask-me-what-my-hobbies-are-in-interviews-and-i-always-say/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I think there's nothing more wonderful than using fiction to reflect real-world cultural ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-think-there-s-nothing-more-wonderful-than-using-fiction-to-reflect/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I don't watch the movies I've been in. I try to stay as little aware of the final product as possible, because my job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-watch-the-movies-i-ve-been-in-i-try-to-stay-as-little-aware/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Working in the arts, you see people who come from terrible circumstances and who, for whatever reason, have incredible talent. But of course, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/working-in-the-arts-you-see-people-who-come-from-terrible/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Acting is a weird, kind of alienating job because you're in an isolated place. Even if you're working with a lot of other people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/acting-is-a-weird-kind-of-alienating-job-because-you-re-in-an/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I made the mistake of writing something very, very short about Obama for this website that I write fiction for, and my father told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-made-the-mistake-of-writing-something-very-very-short-about-obama/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [I give credence to the worst things somebody writes about me, and if somebody writes something nice, I think they're wrong or false or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-give-credence-to-the-worst-things-somebody-writes-about-me-and-if/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) [Explore all 156 Jesse Eisenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) ## 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": "It's really hard to copy another actor and be successful. In fact, that's usually the reason people are not good, because they're copying something they've seen, but, for some reason with their face and their body, it doesn't work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesse Eisenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-and-be-successful-in-fact-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-and-be-successful-in-fact-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/jesse-eisenberg-2642_actors_it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-a_2130536.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's really hard to copy another actor and be successful. In fact, that's usually the reason people are not…” — Jesse Eisenberg", "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": "Jesse Eisenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's really hard to copy another...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-and-be-successful-in-fact-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/it-s-really-hard-to-copy-another-actor-and-be-successful-in-fact-that/#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 } } ] } ```