--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first lead role was a stage play…" description: "\"My first lead role was a stage play called 'A Kestrel for a Knave'. I was 11.\" — Justin Chadwick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/justin-chadwick-37112_actor_my-first-lead-role-was-a-stage-play-call_2644302.jpg" --- # My first lead role was a stage play called 'A Kestrel for… ![“My first lead role was a stage play called 'A Kestrel for a Knave'. I was 11.” quote by Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/justin-chadwick-37112_actor_my-first-lead-role-was-a-stage-play-call_2644302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/justin-chadwick-37112_actor_my-first-lead-role-was-a-stage-play-call_2644302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4f/justin-chadwick-37112_actor_my-first-lead-role-was-a-stage-play-call_2644302.jpg) > “My first lead role was a stage play called 'A Kestrel for a Knave'. I was 11.” [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His first stage role at age eleven was in "A Kestrel for a Knave," marking early theatrical experience. **In simple terms:** Early stage role at eleven. Key Takeaway Value early performance opportunities. Themes career theatre early experience Mood nostalgic inspirational Type biographical career When to use this quote - school productions - community theater - acting classes Key Concepts child actor development stagecraft basics Questions to Reflect On - How did this role shape his career? - What lessons from childhood acting persist? A Different Perspective Early roles may not predict later success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Knave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knave/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-play/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I played Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz.' That was my first role on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gugu-mbatha-raw/i-played-dorothy-in-the-wizard-of-oz-that-was-my-first-role-on-stage/) [Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gugu-mbatha-raw/) > [If yee would know a knave, give him a staffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/if-yee-would-know-a-knave-give-him-a-staffe/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [He that cheats another is a knave; but he that cheats himself is a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-g-maeser/he-that-cheats-another-is-a-knave-but-he-that-cheats-himself-is-a-fool/) [Karl G. Maeser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-g-maeser/) > [He who cheats others is a knave, but he who cheats himself is a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-g-maeser/he-who-cheats-others-is-a-knave-but-he-who-cheats-himself-is-a-fool/) [Karl G. Maeser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-g-maeser/) > [Very often, say what you will, a knave is only a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/very-often-say-what-you-will-a-knave-is-only-a-fool/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [There's never a villain dwelling in all Denmark But he's an arrant knave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-s-never-a-villain-dwelling-in-all-denmark-but-he-s-an-arrant/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [You are not worth another word, else I'd call you knave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/you-are-not-worth-another-word-else-i-d-call-you-knave/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The same ambition can destroy or save, and make a patriot as it makes a knave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/the-same-ambition-can-destroy-or-save-and-make-a-patriot-as-it-makes/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [“Though this knave came something saucily into this world before he was sent for, yet was is mother Fair; there was good sport at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-this-knave-came-something-saucily-into-this-world-before-he/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A crafty knave needs no broker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/a-crafty-knave-needs-no-broker/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [I am always afraid of a fool. One cannot be sure that he is not a knave as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/i-am-always-afraid-of-a-fool-one-cannot-be-sure-that-he-is-not-a/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [He who says there is no such thing as an honest man, you may be sure is himself a knave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-berkeley/he-who-says-there-is-no-such-thing-as-an-honest-man-you-may-be-sure/) [George Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-berkeley/) > [“LEIA Ah! Gov’nor Tarkin, scurvy knave art thou.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/leia-ah-gov-nor-tarkin-scurvy-knave-art-thou/) [Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/) > [There is not on earth so base a knave as the man who wins the love of a woman when he knows that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-is-not-on-earth-so-base-a-knave-as-the-man-who-wins-the-love-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Be afraid not of a fiend but of a knave friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olajobi-shade/be-afraid-not-of-a-fiend-but-of-a-knave-friend/) [Olajobi Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olajobi-shade/) ## More by Justin Chadwick > [Manchester Youth theater, then the National Student Theater Company, and later, my degree course, all helped form my love of telling stories and directing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/manchester-youth-theater-then-the-national-student-theater-company/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [I was very fortunate that a teacher saw that I read a lot and got bored very easily and had a lot of energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/i-was-very-fortunate-that-a-teacher-saw-that-i-read-a-lot-and-got/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [My job is to create a film, where we are capturing truth in performances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/my-job-is-to-create-a-film-where-we-are-capturing-truth-in/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [Its amazing what you can do without in terms of filmmaking when a story is really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/its-amazing-what-you-can-do-without-in-terms-of-filmmaking-when-a/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [It is important that alongside the blockbusters there are stories that can inspire and audiences can experience together in the cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/it-is-important-that-alongside-the-blockbusters-there-are-stories/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [As soon as I got my proper first job, I never did acting again. I think the last thing I did was a Mike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/as-soon-as-i-got-my-proper-first-job-i-never-did-acting-again-i-think/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [I managed to get a short film with Channel 4 Films. I cast a young actor who'd done a bit of television before, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/i-managed-to-get-a-short-film-with-channel-4-films-i-cast-a-young/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [It's amazing what you can do without in terms of filmmaking when a story is really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/it-s-amazing-what-you-can-do-without-in-terms-of-filmmaking-when-a/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [I had seen 'Do the Right Thing' when I was at college, and it was incredibly inspiring as a piece of cinema. Just brilliant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/i-had-seen-do-the-right-thing-when-i-was-at-college-and-it-was/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [Mandela was true to himself, to his people and his principles. He sacrificed everything because he was prepared to be true to his ideals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/mandela-was-true-to-himself-to-his-people-and-his-principles-he/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) > [After college, I funded my short films with acting roles in film and TV. I learned my craft through the great opportunities British television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-chadwick/after-college-i-funded-my-short-films-with-acting-roles-in-film-and/) [Justin Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) [Explore all 12 Justin Chadwick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-chadwick/) ## 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": "My first lead role was a stage play called 'A Kestrel for a Knave'. 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