--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hollywood is a world where the only thing…" description: "\"Hollywood is a world where the only thing that gets green-lit is something that made money the last year.\" — Justin Simien" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg" --- # Hollywood is a world where the only thing that gets… ![“Hollywood is a world where the only thing that gets green-lit is something that made money the last year.” quote by Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg) > “Hollywood is a world where the only thing that gets green-lit is something that made money the last year.” [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Financial success drives green‑lighting, marginalizing innovative or non‑profitable projects. **In simple terms:** Money decides which films get made. Key Takeaway Seek funding beyond profit metrics. Themes film economics creativity industry gatekeeping Mood analytical concerned Type industry critical When to use this quote - independent filmmaking - script development - studio pitching - audience outreach Key Concepts green‑lighting profit motive creative risk Questions to Reflect On - What stories are being missed? - How can alternative financing help? A Different Perspective Creative ideas may lack resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [When you go to the Hollywood world and you wade in the waters out there, you never know who you’re going to meet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/when-you-go-to-the-hollywood-world-and-you-wade-in-the-waters-out/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [I've been turned down by so many things in Hollywood, and the world itself is only getting darker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-walter-hauser/i-ve-been-turned-down-by-so-many-things-in-hollywood-and-the-world/) [Paul Walter Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-walter-hauser/) > [My original aim after 'The X Factor' was to earn enough money in a year to make the whole experience worth it - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/my-original-aim-after-the-x-factor-was-to-earn-enough-money-in-a-year/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [If you want your film to be instantly green-lit, your first approach is not to go to a relatively unknown English actor. They're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/if-you-want-your-film-to-be-instantly-green-lit-your-first-approach/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Shoes cost a few hundred a pair. An' me have money all through the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-isaacs/shoes-cost-a-few-hundred-a-pair-an-me-have-money-all-through-the-year/) [Gregory Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-isaacs/) > [The success of 'The Fighter' made it a lot easier to get 'Broken City' green-lit. And the buzz about 'The Fighter' also made it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/the-success-of-the-fighter-made-it-a-lot-easier-to-get-broken-city/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [I actually had a movie green lit at Disney the same week 'Burlesque' was green lit - a movie for Disney called 'Mash-Up', about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-antin/i-actually-had-a-movie-green-lit-at-disney-the-same-week-burlesque/) [Steve Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-antin/) > [Most major domestic programs got more money this year, and they're used to reflect the priorities of the upcoming year. One good example is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-davis/most-major-domestic-programs-got-more-money-this-year-and-they-re/) [Susan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-davis/) > [As a philanthropist, I give away a lot of money every year. Yet I thought there was a higher leverage to come in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-skoll/as-a-philanthropist-i-give-away-a-lot-of-money-every-year-yet-i/) [Jeffrey Skoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-skoll/) > [Now it really is, believe it or not, 90% of the films are green lit, not by the studio heads, but by the marketing department.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/now-it-really-is-believe-it-or-not-90-of-the-films-are-green-lit-not/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [I think that being isolated from the Hollywood world of premieres and red carpet events was probably good for me because I could ease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-think-that-being-isolated-from-the-hollywood-world-of-premieres-and-2/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [As a small kid from Texas, I just imagined that Hollywood was this world that was really foreign and far away and I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/as-a-small-kid-from-texas-i-just-imagined-that-hollywood-was-this/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [My father and Mary Pickford were the reigning stars of not just Hollywood but of the world. Well, to bear my father's name was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-fairbanks-jr/my-father-and-mary-pickford-were-the-reigning-stars-of-not-just/) [Douglas Fairbanks, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-fairbanks-jr/) > [I think that being isolated from the Hollywood world of premieres and red carpet events was probably good for me because I could ease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-think-that-being-isolated-from-the-hollywood-world-of-premieres-and/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Everybody in Hollywood was in Around the World in 80 Days. If you weren't, you left town and made up an excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/everybody-in-hollywood-was-in-around-the-world-in-80-days-if-you/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) ## More by Justin Simien > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I thought I was depressed because I wasn't a writer/director. I moved into a space where I'm a writer/director, my movie is a hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-thought-i-was-depressed-because-i-wasn-t-a-writer-director-i-moved/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I saw 'Beauty and the Beast' at eight years old in theatres and spent hours trying to recreate the majestic imagery of that story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-saw-beauty-and-the-beast-at-eight-years-old-in-theatres-and-spent/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I'm very interested in clans and the way people group together, and there's a lot of group shots. There's a lot of people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-m-very-interested-in-clans-and-the-way-people-group-together-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [One of the things that I love about Robert Altman's movies is that, really, a Robert Altman movie is just a bunch of short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/one-of-the-things-that-i-love-about-robert-altman-s-movies-is-that/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I am more than a black guy. I am a person, I'm storyteller, I'm a son, I'm a friend, so I am all those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-am-more-than-a-black-guy-i-am-a-person-i-m-storyteller-i-m-a-son-i/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [There are a plethora of ways of being black, just like there's many ways to being white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/there-are-a-plethora-of-ways-of-being-black-just-like-there-s-many/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [The way Hollywood and TV is, black people don't have any choice but to see ourselves in white-dominated television shows and stories and movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/the-way-hollywood-and-tv-is-black-people-don-t-have-any-choice-but-to/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [Everybody else was quoting 2Pac, and I was running around with Green Day in my Walkman. Racially speaking, I wasn't cool or appropriate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/everybody-else-was-quoting-2pac-and-i-was-running-around-with-green/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [Self-doubt is a constant companion for a chubby, gay, black boy born in the South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/self-doubt-is-a-constant-companion-for-a-chubby-gay-black-boy-born-in/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [In the press, there's this desire for the black audience to be this monolithic thing that always responds to the same stars. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/in-the-press-there-s-this-desire-for-the-black-audience-to-be-this/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [It is a fine line between making fun of the right thing and making fun of the wrong thing. And the language oftentimes is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/it-is-a-fine-line-between-making-fun-of-the-right-thing-and-making/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [Hip-hop isn't dead by any means, but it's not something I define my black identity with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/hip-hop-isn-t-dead-by-any-means-but-it-s-not-something-i-define-my/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [I took an internship at Focus Features while I was in film school. I was really interested in how specialty movies were marketed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-took-an-internship-at-focus-features-while-i-was-in-film-school-i/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [Racism is wrong, racism is very dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/racism-is-wrong-racism-is-very-dangerous/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) [Explore all 115 Justin Simien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) ## More Hollywood quotes > [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) > [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/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Artist Matthew Barney has made a film about “shit”. It is hardly original. Hollywood has made shit films for decades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/artist-matthew-barney-has-made-a-film-about-shit-it-is-hardly/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) > [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [“I'm always looking for evidence to support my conjecture that celebrity in Hollywood is sort of like a Joel Peter Witkin photograph: It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cintra-wilson/i-m-always-looking-for-evidence-to-support-my-conjecture-that/) [Cintra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cintra-wilson/) > [I came to Hollywood to be a movie song-and-dance man just at the time those films were going out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-berry/i-came-to-hollywood-to-be-a-movie-song-and-dance-man-just-at-the-time/) [Ken Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-berry/) > [Writing is the life blood of everything in Hollywood. Without writers, there are no scripts, no acting work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/writing-is-the-life-blood-of-everything-in-hollywood-without-writers/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Hollywood regency never goes out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-spencer/hollywood-regency-never-goes-out-of-style/) [Lara Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-spencer/) > [Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/washington-is-a-hollywood-for-ugly-people-hollywood-is-a-washington/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Browse all 4,991 Hollywood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hollywood is a world where the only thing that gets green-lit is something that made money the last year.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Justin Simien" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thing-that-gets-green-lit-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hollywood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thing-that-gets-green-lit-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/justin-simien-4140_hollywood_hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thin_1852739.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hollywood is a world where the only thing that gets green-lit is something that made money the last year.” — Justin Simien", "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": "Justin Simien", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hollywood is a world where the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thing-that-gets-green-lit-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/hollywood-is-a-world-where-the-only-thing-that-gets-green-lit-is/#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 } } ] } ```