--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think of being an actor as a…" description: "\"I think of being an actor as a blue-collar profession.\" — Joe Mantegna" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg" --- # I think of being an actor as a blue-collar profession. ![“I think of being an actor as a blue-collar profession.” quote by Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg) > “I think of being an actor as a blue-collar profession.” [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting is comparable to manual labor, requiring hard work and persistence. **In simple terms:** Acting is a blue‑collar job. Key Takeaway Treat acting with work ethic. Themes acting labor career persistence Mood determined pragmatic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - theatre - film - daily routine - skill development - null Key Concepts work ethic craftsmanship Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance craft and creativity? - What routines sustain your performance? A Different Perspective Creative fields also need artistic inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Blue collar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-collar/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Zombies are the blue-collar monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/zombies-are-the-blue-collar-monsters/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) > [Detroit 1-8-7' - the numbers are police slang for murder - is filmed in that blue-collar Michigan city, providing a flavor of authenticity. Detroit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-imperioli/detroit-1-8-7-the-numbers-are-police-slang-for-murder-is-filmed-in/) [Michael Imperioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-imperioli/) > [I don't know what to think of the money. It's kind of mind-boggling. I come from a middle-class, blue-collar family. We've never really had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-burrell/i-don-t-know-what-to-think-of-the-money-it-s-kind-of-mind-boggling-i/) [Pat Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-burrell/) > [The base has chosen or is choosing a candidate that the establishment says is absolutely unacceptable. And what that means is this marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/the-base-has-chosen-or-is-choosing-a-candidate-that-the-establishment/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [Many blue-collar families struggling to pay rent would be happy to skip paying optional union dues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-leary/many-blue-collar-families-struggling-to-pay-rent-would-be-happy-to/) [Kevin O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-o-leary/) > [My personality is that I'm a human being like everybody else, just a citizen and a blue collar guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/my-personality-is-that-i-m-a-human-being-like-everybody-else-just-a/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [My family was blue collar, a middle-class kind of thing. My father was born in Detroit, Italian-American. My mother is English. 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And we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/where-s-our-paul-newmans-where-s-our-robert-redfords-we-ve-got-jason/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [My mom was the picture of the blue-collar mom: Two and three and four jobs to make sure that me and my sister never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/my-mom-was-the-picture-of-the-blue-collar-mom-two-and-three-and-four/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [The citizens of Love Canal provided an example of how a blue-collar community with few resources can win against great odds (a multi-billion-dollar international…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-gibbs/the-citizens-of-love-canal-provided-an-example-of-how-a-blue-collar/) [Lois Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-gibbs/) > [I say that in jest a little bit, but Donald Trump is a blue collar guy with a balance sheet. That's the way he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump-jr/i-say-that-in-jest-a-little-bit-but-donald-trump-is-a-blue-collar-guy/) [Donald Trump, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump-jr/) > [I come from a blue collar family, but my personal life isn't. I didn't get the gene that my grandfather had in spades. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/i-come-from-a-blue-collar-family-but-my-personal-life-isn-t-i-didn-t/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) ## More by Joe Mantegna > [Actors are journeymen. We show up for work. We do the job and then we go. What goes on behind the scenes is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/actors-are-journeymen-we-show-up-for-work-we-do-the-job-and-then-we/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [You know the way I play golf, it's a good I do these things for charities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/you-know-the-way-i-play-golf-it-s-a-good-i-do-these-things-for/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [You can't bluff someone that's not paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/you-can-t-bluff-someone-that-s-not-paying-attention/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [I did plays and movies and whatever all over the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-did-plays-and-movies-and-whatever-all-over-the-place/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [There's good and evil going on. We have cops. We have robbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/there-s-good-and-evil-going-on-we-have-cops-we-have-robbers/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [There are a lot of people who will come to me for advice or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-will-come-to-me-for-advice-or-whatever/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [For every Mother Teresa, there's a Jeffrey Dahmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/for-every-mother-teresa-there-s-a-jeffrey-dahmer/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [I'm in the wrong racket if I didn't want a public life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-m-in-the-wrong-racket-if-i-didn-t-want-a-public-life/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [I mean, it's the life lessons that I suppose you learn that nobody gets a free ride and that you do the best you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-mean-it-s-the-life-lessons-that-i-suppose-you-learn-that-nobody/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [You talk to the real cops and they say ninety percent of it is paperwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/you-talk-to-the-real-cops-and-they-say-ninety-percent-of-it-is/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [I've spent the better part of the last twenty-five years doing a lot of traveling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-ve-spent-the-better-part-of-the-last-twenty-five-years-doing-a-lot/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [When they were small and my wife really had no other responsibilities, except taking care of the family and all of us, it wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/when-they-were-small-and-my-wife-really-had-no-other-responsibilities/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [There's now a Fat Tony doll, which cracks me up. But you feel honored that they asked you to do a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/there-s-now-a-fat-tony-doll-which-cracks-me-up-but-you-feel-honored/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [If you're going to believe in a God, then you also have to equally believe that there's a flip side to this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/if-you-re-going-to-believe-in-a-god-then-you-also-have-to-equally/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) > [If humanity can exist for another million years, everybody's going to be a light shade of yellow-brown-red-tan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/if-humanity-can-exist-for-another-million-years-everybody-s-going-to/) [Joe Mantegna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) [Explore all 33 Joe Mantegna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/) ## 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 think of being an actor as a blue-collar profession.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Mantegna" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-collar-profession/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-collar-profession/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/joe-mantegna-19015_actor_i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-coll_2731518.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think of being an actor as a blue-collar profession.” — Joe Mantegna", "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 Mantegna", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantegna/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think of being an actor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-collar-profession/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantegna/i-think-of-being-an-actor-as-a-blue-collar-profession/#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 } } ] } ```