--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With 'Taxi Driver,' I had this eureka…" description: "\"With 'Taxi Driver,' I had this eureka moment. I realized that acting could be much more than what I had been doing. I had to build a character that was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/jodie-foster-2055_acting_with-taxi-driver-i-had-this-eureka-momen_1906183.jpg" --- # With 'Taxi Driver,' I had this eureka moment. I realized… ![“With 'Taxi Driver,' I had this eureka moment. I realized that acting could be much more than what I had been doing. I had to build a character that wasn't me.” quote by Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/jodie-foster-2055_acting_with-taxi-driver-i-had-this-eureka-momen_1906183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/jodie-foster-2055_acting_with-taxi-driver-i-had-this-eureka-momen_1906183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/jodie-foster-2055_acting_with-taxi-driver-i-had-this-eureka-momen_1906183.jpg) > “With 'Taxi Driver,' I had this eureka moment. I realized that acting could be much more than what I had been doing. I had to build a character that wasn't me.” [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The actress describes a breakthrough moment where she realized acting required creating characters distinct from herself. **In simple terms:** Acting is about embodying others, not just oneself. Key Takeaway Embrace roles that challenge your identity. Themes creativity identity growth Mood inspirational introspective Type artistic professional When to use this quote - audition preparation - role immersion - career evolution Key Concepts method acting character development Questions to Reflect On - How can you step outside your comfort zone in performance? - What techniques help you inhabit another persona? A Different Perspective Playing roles too similar to self can limit artistic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Taxi driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxi-driver/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Taxi drivers used to ask me what kind of music I did, and I'd say, 'Well, it's kind of jazz, soul, classical' - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mvula/taxi-drivers-used-to-ask-me-what-kind-of-music-i-did-and-i-d-say-well/) [Laura Mvula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mvula/) > [I was born here in the city, born in the Bronx. Son of a cop. One grandfather was a taxi driver; the other was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/i-was-born-here-in-the-city-born-in-the-bronx-son-of-a-cop-one/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [I can’t believe how much this place has grown,” Hazel muttered. The taxi driver grinned in the rearview mirror. “Been a long time since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-can-t-believe-how-much-this-place-has-grown-hazel-muttered-the-taxi/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Women often don't want to admit that they like fashion. And yet fashion enthralls everyone, from the taxi driver to the mega-intellectual. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/women-often-don-t-want-to-admit-that-they-like-fashion-and-yet/) [Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/) > [I was a really bad taxi driver. I only collided twice but it was one time too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/i-was-a-really-bad-taxi-driver-i-only-collided-twice-but-it-was-one/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [ It’s also true that I might have never made Taxi Driver \[1976\] were it not for the success of Alice \[Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/it-s-also-true-that-i-might-have-never-made-taxi-driver-1976-were-it/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [I'm shocked at being recognized. You go to places you don't think you would be and still, you are. Taxi drivers often recognise me...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/i-m-shocked-at-being-recognized-you-go-to-places-you-don-t-think-you/) [Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/) > [I think the idea that the hedge fund manager gets lower taxes than the taxi driver or the physics professor is insane. The legislators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-think-the-idea-that-the-hedge-fund-manager-gets-lower-taxes-than/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We are Americans. We - we - we are - we are doctors. We are investment bankers. We are taxi drivers. We are store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feisal-abdul-rauf/we-are-americans-we-we-we-are-we-are-doctors-we-are-investment/) [Feisal Abdul Rauf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feisal-abdul-rauf/) > [I think right now is when we need to hear different voices coming out of all parts of the world. You can't just hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/i-think-right-now-is-when-we-need-to-hear-different-voices-coming-out/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [There are definitely many adventures on the road with Jessica 6. It sometimes feels like we're in a movie. I was recently kidnapped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomi-ruiz/there-are-definitely-many-adventures-on-the-road-with-jessica-6-it/) [Nomi Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomi-ruiz/) > [When Ava Gardner get in a taxi, the driver knows at once she’s Ava Gardner. It’s the same for Lana Turner or Elizabeth Taylor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-kelly/when-ava-gardner-get-in-a-taxi-the-driver-knows-at-once-she-s-ava/) [Grace Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-kelly/) > [I remember being very influenced by 'Taxi Driver', and also Tommy Lee Jones in 'Coal Miner's Daughter' a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rockwell/i-remember-being-very-influenced-by-taxi-driver-and-also-tommy-lee/) [Sam Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rockwell/) > [Before they're plumbers or writers or taxi drivers or unemployed or journalists, before everything else, men are men. Whether heterosexual or homosexual. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/before-they-re-plumbers-or-writers-or-taxi-drivers-or-unemployed-or/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) ## More by Jodie Foster > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I spent a lot of time not in school, so I didn't have deep relationships with kids my own age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-not-in-school-so-i-didn-t-have-deep/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Let how you live your life stand for something, no matter how small and incidental it may seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/let-how-you-live-your-life-stand-for-something-no-matter-how-small/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Look, it's terrible, I know, but weakness really, really bugs me, to the point that if there is a wounded bird on the sidewalk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/look-it-s-terrible-i-know-but-weakness-really-really-bugs-me-to-the/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I want to be inspiring to myself, to my kids, my family, and my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-want-to-be-inspiring-to-myself-to-my-kids-my-family-and-my-friends/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Well, I certainly was exposed to and learned to appreciate the work of great directors early on. As a kid, my mother used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/well-i-certainly-was-exposed-to-and-learned-to-appreciate-the-work-of/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Sometimes, you really don't understand why something is important to you until you get halfway through the movie - or maybe even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/sometimes-you-really-don-t-understand-why-something-is-important-to/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I think I missed all of the wonderful things ... I missed the control that you have in film, and I missed getting it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-think-i-missed-all-of-the-wonderful-things-i-missed-the-control/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [But the reason I became, why I wanted to be in the business was because there was Midnight Cowboy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/but-the-reason-i-became-why-i-wanted-to-be-in-the-business-was/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I'm a technician. I don't go for the get-into-the-role stuff. I read the lines and play the scenes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-m-a-technician-i-don-t-go-for-the-get-into-the-role-stuff-i-read/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Casting is a long process for me. I take a lot of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/casting-is-a-long-process-for-me-i-take-a-lot-of-time/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago in the stone age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-already-did-my-coming-out-about-a-thousand-years-ago-in-the-stone/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Where I have problems is when I am in the midst of doing something that I am completely focused on, and then I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/where-i-have-problems-is-when-i-am-in-the-midst-of-doing-something/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I was one of those avid moviegoers as a kid, and we didn't have video, so we went to see everything five times. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-was-one-of-those-avid-moviegoers-as-a-kid-and-we-didn-t-have-video/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [When I go into the stores, I pet the saddles. Until security comes and takes me away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/when-i-go-into-the-stores-i-pet-the-saddles-until-security-comes-and/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) [Explore all 189 Jodie Foster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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