---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like working with kid actors because…"
description: "\"I like working with kid actors because they surprise you constantly. I mean, all actors do - but kids particularly.\" — Joe Dante"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png"
---

#  I like working with kid actors because they surprise you…

![“I like working with kid actors because they surprise you constantly. I mean, all actors do - but kids particularly.” quote by Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png)

> “I like working with kid actors because they surprise you constantly. I mean, all actors do - but kids particularly.”

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

## About This Quote

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

Kids bring unexpected spontaneity, making their performances uniquely fresh and unpredictable.

**In simple terms:** Kids surprise with fresh performances.

Key Takeaway

Embrace unpredictability in casting.

Themes

film acting creativity

Mood

playful inspired

Type

practical reflective

When to use this quote

- casting decisions
- directing
- workshop exercises

Key Concepts

spontaneity child actors

Questions to Reflect On

- What can adults learn from kids' spontaneity?
- How to balance surprise with professionalism?

A Different Perspective

Children may lack consistency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Actors Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors-kids-1871092/) [Actors Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors-surprise-395624/) [Kid Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kid-actors-1948035/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids Particularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-particularly-2345549/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [I love to watch good actors who surprise and amuse me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-love-to-watch-good-actors-who-surprise-and-amuse-me/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [The interesting thing with child actors is that kids are natural actors. They're wonderful actors, and most kids are acting all the time. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/the-interesting-thing-with-child-actors-is-that-kids-are-natural/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

> [For hundreds of years, that was the major form of entertainment: The grown-ups sat around and watched the kids play. Now they sit around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/for-hundreds-of-years-that-was-the-major-form-of-entertainment-the/)

[David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/)

> [Some kids are fine, but often I don't like what I see in child actors. My kids are young and they are already showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/some-kids-are-fine-but-often-i-don-t-like-what-i-see-in-child-actors/)

[John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/)

> [I've borne these two kids into a particularly strange circumstance. They are going to have to fend off a lot and protect themselves from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-ve-borne-these-two-kids-into-a-particularly-strange-circumstance/)

[Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/)

> [Of course there were times, particularly when you travel, when it's very tough to leave the kids, particularly when they were very young. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/of-course-there-were-times-particularly-when-you-travel-when-it-s/)

[Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/)

> [People have a range of capacities to deal with overwhelming experience. Some people, some kids particularly, are able to disappear into a fantasy world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessel-van-der-kolk/people-have-a-range-of-capacities-to-deal-with-overwhelming/)

[Bessel van der Kolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessel-van-der-kolk/)

> [I think all of us have really got to redouble our efforts, first of all, to pay attention to the K-12 crisis. The sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-think-all-of-us-have-really-got-to-redouble-our-efforts-first-of/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [I think kid actors may grow up faster, with the responsibility of having to do school work, learn all lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-reid/i-think-kid-actors-may-grow-up-faster-with-the-responsibility-of/)

[Storm Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-reid/)

> [After 'Radio Flyer,' to this day, every family-oriented script or script with kid actors comes across my desk. That's just Hollywood: you get pigeonholed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-evans/after-radio-flyer-to-this-day-every-family-oriented-script-or-script/)

[David M. Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-evans/)

> [It's kind of a crazy thing with kid actors because a lot of them get hired without people really knowing if they're good or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/it-s-kind-of-a-crazy-thing-with-kid-actors-because-a-lot-of-them-get/)

[Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/)

> [I find that kid actors are great reminders of the simplicity of acting. As you get older, you can sometimes complicate things a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/i-find-that-kid-actors-are-great-reminders-of-the-simplicity-of/)

[Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/)

> [I've worked with little kid actors before, and when they start crying or anything like that, it makes my job so easy, because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/i-ve-worked-with-little-kid-actors-before-and-when-they-start-crying/)

[Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/)

> [I was comfortable in my thirties playing the romantic partner, the hero that saves the day, or the woman who is facing a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-was-comfortable-in-my-thirties-playing-the-romantic-partner-the/)

[Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/)

## More by Joe Dante

> [My generation remembered going to the movies as an event. We would see these things, we would bring them home, and we would think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/my-generation-remembered-going-to-the-movies-as-an-event-we-would-see/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [One of the things I've always tried to do is to inject myself as much as possible into the movie, so I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-tried-to-do-is-to-inject-myself-as-much/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [When you make a 3-D movie you actually have to plan the way the visuals look because there's a parallax issue, and there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/when-you-make-a-3-d-movie-you-actually-have-to-plan-the-way-the/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I've always felt that I shouldn't make a movie if someone else could do it better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-ve-always-felt-that-i-shouldn-t-make-a-movie-if-someone-else-could/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I think I entered the market around the time when there was getting to be less snobbery about the difference between feature films and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-think-i-entered-the-market-around-the-time-when-there-was-getting/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I'm always looking for films, but the horror scripts that I get tend to be very repetitive and often not that interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-m-always-looking-for-films-but-the-horror-scripts-that-i-get-tend/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [There go the goddamn brownies!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/there-go-the-goddamn-brownies/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [When the first movie to show the anger people have about the war is a grade Z zombie movie, that tells you all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/when-the-first-movie-to-show-the-anger-people-have-about-the-war-is-a/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [There's so little difference between television and features as far as you make the film. I mean, you have less money and it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/there-s-so-little-difference-between-television-and-features-as-far/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I don't believe that you can judge the worth of a movie in the atmosphere in which it comes out the first time. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-don-t-believe-that-you-can-judge-the-worth-of-a-movie-in-the/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I've sort of closed my mind off to reality shows: I just don't watch them, don't care about them, don't know who the characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-ve-sort-of-closed-my-mind-off-to-reality-shows-i-just-don-t-watch/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I mean, movies are all geared to be basically under 25, and they're all tentpoles, explosions, excitement and all that - they take advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-mean-movies-are-all-geared-to-be-basically-under-25-and-they-re-all/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [Repetitiveness is one of the things that's most difficult to get away from in genre pictures, because people come specifically to see certain kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/repetitiveness-is-one-of-the-things-that-s-most-difficult-to-get-away/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [I love 'Evil Dead 2!' Who doesn't love 'Evil Dead 2?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-love-evil-dead-2-who-doesn-t-love-evil-dead-2/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

> [Editing is where movies are made or broken. Many a film has been saved and many a film has been ruined in the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/editing-is-where-movies-are-made-or-broken-many-a-film-has-been-saved/)

[Joe Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

[Explore all 42 Joe Dante quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/)

## 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": "I like working with kid actors because they surprise you constantly. I mean, all actors do - but kids particularly.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joe Dante"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-they-surprise-you-constantly-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-they-surprise-you-constantly-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e01/joe-dante-15763_actor_i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-t_2266258.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I like working with kid actors because they surprise you constantly. I mean, all actors do - but kids…” — Joe Dante",
                "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": "Joe Dante",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dante/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I like working with kid actors...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-they-surprise-you-constantly-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dante/i-like-working-with-kid-actors-because-they-surprise-you-constantly-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
