--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a barfly, so going to work and…" description: "\"I was a barfly, so going to work and acting and rehearsing and then going and sitting in a bar and drinking and then going home was sort of my lifestyl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/john-heard-29955_acting_i-was-a-barfly-so-going-to-work-and-acti_2888526.jpg" --- # I was a barfly, so going to work and acting and rehearsing… ![“I was a barfly, so going to work and acting and rehearsing and then going and sitting in a bar and drinking and then going home was sort of my lifestyle. And there was none of that out here in the '70s when I was lucky enough to get movies, and nobody else that I knew was working in movies at that…” quote by John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/john-heard-29955_acting_i-was-a-barfly-so-going-to-work-and-acti_2888526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/john-heard-29955_acting_i-was-a-barfly-so-going-to-work-and-acti_2888526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/john-heard-29955_acting_i-was-a-barfly-so-going-to-work-and-acti_2888526.jpg) > “I was a barfly, so going to work and acting and rehearsing and then going and sitting in a bar and drinking and then going home was sort of my lifestyle. And there was none of that out here in the '70s when I was lucky enough to get movies, and nobody else that I knew was working in movies at that point. I didn't really have a lot of movie friends.” [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes a past lifestyle of constant bar‑centric routine, contrasted with a later shift to film work and a different social circle. **In simple terms:** He moved from a bar‑focused life to a film career, changing his social environment. Key Takeaway Recognize how environments shape habits. Themes lifestyle career transition social circles Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal narrative When to use this quote - career change - social networking - personal growth - work‑life balance Key Concepts identity habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your past still influence you? - How can you create supportive environments? A Different Perspective Old habits can linger despite new surroundings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Barfly Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barfly-going-4043584/) [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Going home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-home/) [Going to work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-to-work/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Lifestyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifestyle/) [Lifestyle 70S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifestyle-70s-4043585/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Movie Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-friends-793643/) [Work Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-acting-1041897/) [Working Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-movies-547510/) ## Related quotes > [With Die Hard it was just something that I, you know, I grew up with those movies. I made a Die Hard movie with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wiseman/with-die-hard-it-was-just-something-that-i-you-know-i-grew-up-with/) [Len Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wiseman/) > [The movie I made with my friends in my hometown based on a dream becomes a stepping stone to 'Spider-Man.' I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-watts/the-movie-i-made-with-my-friends-in-my-hometown-based-on-a-dream/) [Jon Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-watts/) > [Life ain't a movie, the friends with benefits can never work out in real life .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gent-sadiku/life-ain-t-a-movie-the-friends-with-benefits-can-never-work-out-in/) [Gent Sadiku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gent-sadiku/) > [I was obsessed with movies, and it ended up being the tool with which I could make friends. 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You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/even-with-a-small-video-we-will-always-be-able-to-do-a-small-movie/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [“I don’t have many friends,” I said. “Not ‘come over and eat popcorn and watch a stupid movie’ friends. You and Warren are sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-don-t-have-many-friends-i-said-not-come-over-and-eat-popcorn-and/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [That's what I did whenever I loved a movie: I'd get together with my friends and play it out and re-enact it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/that-s-what-i-did-whenever-i-loved-a-movie-i-d-get-together-with-my/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [I had a great time working on the movies, both the major movies I've done. I've had a great time. I like the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-had-a-great-time-working-on-the-movies-both-the-major-movies-i-ve/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I enjoyed all my films equally. I have loved working in all the movies which I signed. Whenever I used to like the script…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-parekh/i-enjoyed-all-my-films-equally-i-have-loved-working-in-all-the-movies/) [Asha Parekh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-parekh/) > [First career I had right out of engineering school was at Lucas film, not working in the movies but working in home theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-imahara/first-career-i-had-right-out-of-engineering-school-was-at-lucas-film/) [Grant Imahara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-imahara/) > [When I first started working on movies as a production assistant, we were shooting 65, 75, 85 days. I mean, granted some of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sucsy/when-i-first-started-working-on-movies-as-a-production-assistant-we/) [Michael Sucsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sucsy/) > [I like working in both movies and television. Television is faster, not very much rehearsal and a lot of material is shot in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-landau/i-like-working-in-both-movies-and-television-television-is-faster-not/) [Juliet Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-landau/) > [I spent a long time working in the movies to figure out that kind of acting and also how to write and produce for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-spent-a-long-time-working-in-the-movies-to-figure-out-that-kind-of/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) ## More by John Heard > [The look of the movie and the music, which was by Jack Nitzsche, is what really stands out to me. I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/the-look-of-the-movie-and-the-music-which-was-by-jack-nitzsche-is/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [Cutter's Way was a real test of my stupidity. Every day, it was like, who did I think I was? But people put up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/cutter-s-way-was-a-real-test-of-my-stupidity-every-day-it-was-like/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [I remember one afternoon when we were out on a golf course somewhere, and Lauren Bacall, James Garner, and Jack Lemmon were sitting there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/i-remember-one-afternoon-when-we-were-out-on-a-golf-course-somewhere/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [Denzel Washington was so great at The Great Debaters, so focused and talented. 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I think Nastassja was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/nastassja-kinski-is-a-sweetie-she-s-very-quiet-but-smart-i-hung-out/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [Rip Torn had, like, lessons in everything he said, and one of them was, "I know that an actor can undermine anything a director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/rip-torn-had-like-lessons-in-everything-he-said-and-one-of-them-was-i/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [When my agent called me up and said, "Do you want to be in a movie called Sharknado?" I said, "What is it about?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/when-my-agent-called-me-up-and-said-do-you-want-to-be-in-a-movie/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [There were a lot of things in it that were important at the time to me. Cutter's Way movie was very relevant. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/there-were-a-lot-of-things-in-it-that-were-important-at-the-time-to/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [I did a film about child abuse with the great producer-director Richard Donner, Radio Flyer. Again, I was replacing somebody, but Lorraine Bracco was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/i-did-a-film-about-child-abuse-with-the-great-producer-director/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [Martin Scorsese was very much the actor's director. We were all very in awe of Martin Scorsese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/martin-scorsese-was-very-much-the-actor-s-director-we-were-all-very/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [They killed me in The Sopranos. I went to David Chase, and I said, "Why me? I'm a detective! You can use me forever!"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/they-killed-me-in-the-sopranos-i-went-to-david-chase-and-i-said-why/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [Television is fast and loose. You have two or three takes to get your part right, and if you have a problem, well, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/television-is-fast-and-loose-you-have-two-or-three-takes-to-get-your/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) > [After The Sopranos, my mother said, "Couldn't there be some raft floating under the bridge when you jumped? Or couldn't you have a twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heard/after-the-sopranos-my-mother-said-couldn-t-there-be-some-raft/) [John Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) [Explore all 18 John Heard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heard/) ## 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. 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