--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It never occurred to me to be an actor." description: "\"It never occurred to me to be an actor.\" — John Malkovich" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg" --- # It never occurred to me to be an actor. ![“It never occurred to me to be an actor.” quote by John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg) > “It never occurred to me to be an actor.” [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting was never a planned career; it emerged unexpectedly. **In simple terms:** Acting came as a surprise. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected opportunities. Themes career serendipity identity Mood reflective curious Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - career change - artistic exploration - personal reinvention - networking Key Concepts creative discovery life paths Questions to Reflect On - How did you adapt to an unplanned role? - What does “never occurred to me” reveal about self‑knowledge? A Different Perspective Unexpected paths may lack stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [My curiosity and my appetite for evolving as an actor is one of the main components of me still working today in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/my-curiosity-and-my-appetite-for-evolving-as-an-actor-is-one-of-the/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/) [Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I've been on the stage my entire life as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/i-ve-been-on-the-stage-my-entire-life-as-an-actor/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [There are many different ways the public can respond to actors - they can see you on TV and feel they know you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/there-are-many-different-ways-the-public-can-respond-to-actors-they/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [A lot of actors get the leading role after doing a bunch of smaller things and people get to know them. I came out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-luss/a-lot-of-actors-get-the-leading-role-after-doing-a-bunch-of-smaller/) [Sasha Luss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-luss/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/not-to-be-offensive-not-to-be-capricious-not-to-be-arbitrary-not-to/) [William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/) ## More by John Malkovich > [Films take too long. There's too much BS, too much nonsense. If I want to do a play, I just call the theater, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/films-take-too-long-there-s-too-much-bs-too-much-nonsense-if-i-want/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I don't want a trillion-dollar empire to run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-don-t-want-a-trillion-dollar-empire-to-run/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [Reviews are destructive by their very nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/reviews-are-destructive-by-their-very-nature/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I can see how, given a certain degree of sensitivities, proclivities and rage, I could have ended up differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-can-see-how-given-a-certain-degree-of-sensitivities-proclivities/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [Most filmmakers' entire body of knowledge is of other movies. When they describe things, they describe them in relation to other movies. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/most-filmmakers-entire-body-of-knowledge-is-of-other-movies-when-they/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I wouldn't say anything I ever did in film would be something I'd use the word proud about. I've done better work in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-wouldn-t-say-anything-i-ever-did-in-film-would-be-something-i-d-use/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I have driven school buses, sold egg rolls and painted houses, and I have often wondered what my life would have been like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-have-driven-school-buses-sold-egg-rolls-and-painted-houses-and-i/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [You have to play your characters, not like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/you-have-to-play-your-characters-not-like-them/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [One doesn't know if one had a happy childhood or not. I don't really know what it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/one-doesn-t-know-if-one-had-a-happy-childhood-or-not-i-don-t-really/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I'm more comfortable with whatever's wrong with me than my father was whenever he felt he failed or didn't measure up to the standard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-m-more-comfortable-with-whatever-s-wrong-with-me-than-my-father-was/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I was a very good baseball and football player, but my father always told me I was much more interested in how I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-was-a-very-good-baseball-and-football-player-but-my-father-always/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I think people seem to sort of associate me with danger. And I don't see that at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-think-people-seem-to-sort-of-associate-me-with-danger-and-i-don-t/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I like to direct movies, but I don't like to goof around for eight years talking about it. And it's pretty irritating to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-like-to-direct-movies-but-i-don-t-like-to-goof-around-for-eight/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [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/) > [I find it hard to pre-plan every element of everything I do. It's not my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-find-it-hard-to-pre-plan-every-element-of-everything-i-do-it-s-not/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) [Explore all 169 John Malkovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) ## 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 never occurred to me to be an actor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Malkovich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/john-malkovich-2387_actors_it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor-2_2159180.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It never occurred to me to be an actor.” — John Malkovich", "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": "John Malkovich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It never occurred to me to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/it-never-occurred-to-me-to-be-an-actor/#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 } } ] } ```