--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel like most actors just dig and dig…" description: "\"I feel like most actors just dig and dig and work and work in whatever way they do to try to do as much as they can to portray a character in the limit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg" --- # I feel like most actors just dig and dig and work and work… ![“I feel like most actors just dig and dig and work and work in whatever way they do to try to do as much as they can to portray a character in the limited time they have to play it, whether it's six months or one month or one week of work, you know.” quote by Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg) > “I feel like most actors just dig and dig and work and work in whatever way they do to try to do as much as they can to portray a character in the limited time they have to play it, whether it's six months or one month or one week of work, you know.” [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors work intensively under tight schedules, striving to fully embody roles. **In simple terms:** Actors push hard under time pressure. Key Takeaway Prioritize focused, purposeful work. Themes acting dedication time constraints Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - theatre productions - film shoots - TV series Key Concepts method acting creative pressure performance quality Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain depth under pressure? - What strategies sustain creative energy? A Different Perspective Intense schedules may compromise depth or health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Limited time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited-time/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [It is a tough job to portray a character and make it believable on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/it-is-a-tough-job-to-portray-a-character-and-make-it-believable-on/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) > [If I am not confident that I can portray the character perfectly on screen, I won't even try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/if-i-am-not-confident-that-i-can-portray-the-character-perfectly-on/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [We've just got to try and portray the character as best as possible. It's just part of the job!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-llewellyn/we-ve-just-got-to-try-and-portray-the-character-as-best-as-possible/) [Dylan Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-llewellyn/) > [“Our real poems are already in us / and all we can do is dig. / We can work for years and never find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-galassi/our-real-poems-are-already-in-us-and-all-we-can-do-is-dig-we-can-work/) Jonathan Galassi > [The thing I learned is that the work is getting done by people who dig in and work on a particular project: the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/the-thing-i-learned-is-that-the-work-is-getting-done-by-people-who/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [ I like actors who just become that person and then react, and Adam \[Driver\] is completely reactive in that way. So every day working… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/i-like-actors-who-just-become-that-person-and-then-react-and-adam/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [I've seen productions where it feels like the actors are just tired and want to go home. That is one of the challenges doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/i-ve-seen-productions-where-it-feels-like-the-actors-are-just-tired/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [I like actors who just are who they are, with a little bit of qualification to adapt to their character. But mostly they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-like-actors-who-just-are-who-they-are-with-a-little-bit-of/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [That's the most important thing when you're trying to portray a character for the audience to believe, you have to have the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-waters/that-s-the-most-important-thing-when-you-re-trying-to-portray-a/) [Drew Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-waters/) > [It was very difficult acting. I feel it is a very tough job to portray someone else's character and to behave like that on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/it-was-very-difficult-acting-i-feel-it-is-a-very-tough-job-to-portray/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) > [I picked up a lot watching Ultimate Fighting. I studied martial arts. But I had an idea to be different, to portray a character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-goldberg/i-picked-up-a-lot-watching-ultimate-fighting-i-studied-martial-arts/) [Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-goldberg/) > [I believe in method acting. Whenever I'm working on a character, I start behaving like him. I start doing these things which the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-aaryan/i-believe-in-method-acting-whenever-i-m-working-on-a-character-i/) [Kartik Aaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kartik-aaryan/) > [All I try to do is as earnestly and as acutely as I can, conceive a character and try to portray this character just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-warburton/all-i-try-to-do-is-as-earnestly-and-as-acutely-as-i-can-conceive-a/) [Patrick Warburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-warburton/) > [Even though the 'Shooter' character on TV is so close to the real-life me, I'm still playing with ways to creatively portray that character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/even-though-the-shooter-character-on-tv-is-so-close-to-the-real-life/) [Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/) > [Irrespective of my looks and age, they'll like me if I portray my character well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divyanka-tripathi/irrespective-of-my-looks-and-age-they-ll-like-me-if-i-portray-my/) [Divyanka Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divyanka-tripathi/) ## More by Katherine Waterston > [I generally don't like to talk too much about the character unless I feel stuck or in some trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-generally-don-t-like-to-talk-too-much-about-the-character-unless-i/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [What's comforting about coming from a family of actors is I don't have to explain the struggle. I can just sigh to my sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/what-s-comforting-about-coming-from-a-family-of-actors-is-i-don-t/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [I think everything happens organically. You mine for clues. It's all immersive, and stuff you can use comes out of that immersion. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-think-everything-happens-organically-you-mine-for-clues-it-s-all/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [I don't think Paul Thomas Anderson has a standard approach to anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-don-t-think-paul-thomas-anderson-has-a-standard-approach-to-anything/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [There are people who have really high expectations for what we're doing. 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It slows down and is hazy and dreamy, and you can put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/there-s-something-particular-about-the-way-los-angeles-feels-in-the/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [ What I love about the way they both \[Paul Thomas Anderson and Joaquin Phoenix\] work is that all of the monkey business is on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/what-i-love-about-the-way-they-both-paul-thomas-anderson-and-joaquin/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [Obviously, as an actor, you have to embrace your imagination all the time, but when you're doing one of these films, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/obviously-as-an-actor-you-have-to-embrace-your-imagination-all-the/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [I've always wanted to play the villain. But the young girl is never the villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-ve-always-wanted-to-play-the-villain-but-the-young-girl-is-never/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [We live in such hypersexualised yet totally prudish times. People have this expectation about everyone else's relationship to their own bodies.'Surely you must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/we-live-in-such-hypersexualised-yet-totally-prudish-times-people-have/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [The minute you get cast, you worry they've made the most terrible mistake. There's a really awkward stage between being hired and doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/the-minute-you-get-cast-you-worry-they-ve-made-the-most-terrible/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [I dont think Paul Thomas Anderson has a standard approach to anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-dont-think-paul-thomas-anderson-has-a-standard-approach-to-anything/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [Ive always wanted to play the villain. But the young girl is never the villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/ive-always-wanted-to-play-the-villain-but-the-young-girl-is-never-the/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [There's kind of no rhyme or reason to what is appealing to any given actor. It just is, or it isn't. It's kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/there-s-kind-of-no-rhyme-or-reason-to-what-is-appealing-to-any-given/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) [Explore all 84 Katherine Waterston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) ## 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! 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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 feel like most actors just dig and dig and work and work in whatever way they do to try to do as much as they can to portray a character in the limited time they have to play it, whether it's six months or one month or one week of work, you know.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katherine Waterston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig-and-work-and-work-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig-and-work-and-work-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/katherine-waterston-8062_actor_i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig_2353931.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I feel like most actors just dig and dig and work and work in whatever way they do to try to do as much as…” — Katherine Waterston", "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": "Katherine Waterston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I feel like most actors just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig-and-work-and-work-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-feel-like-most-actors-just-dig-and-dig-and-work-and-work-in/#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 } } ] } ```