--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first began doing TV pilots, my…" description: "\"When I first began doing TV pilots, my expectations were high. I didn't understand that world. So when 'Weeds' took off, I was so happy. Especially as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/kevin-nealon-8834_casts_when-i-first-began-doing-tv-pilots-my-ex_475513.jpg" --- # When I first began doing TV pilots, my expectations were… ![“When I first began doing TV pilots, my expectations were high. I didn't understand that world. So when 'Weeds' took off, I was so happy. Especially as I was just a guest star in the pilot. But once it got picked up, they made me a regular cast member.” quote by Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/kevin-nealon-8834_casts_when-i-first-began-doing-tv-pilots-my-ex_475513.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/kevin-nealon-8834_casts_when-i-first-began-doing-tv-pilots-my-ex_475513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d0/kevin-nealon-8834_casts_when-i-first-began-doing-tv-pilots-my-ex_475513.jpg) > “When I first began doing TV pilots, my expectations were high. I didn't understand that world. So when 'Weeds' took off, I was so happy. Especially as I was just a guest star in the pilot. But once it got picked up, they made me a regular cast member.” [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on unexpected career shifts, noting that success can change roles and expectations. **In simple terms:** Career paths can change unexpectedly. Key Takeaway Adapt to new opportunities. Themes career expectations adaptability Mood reflective optimistic Type personal career When to use this quote - acting - pilot production - career transitions - networking Key Concepts growth mindset industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay grounded when roles evolve? - What strategies help you manage new expectations? A Different Perspective Success may bring unwanted responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Pilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilot/) [Pilots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilots/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The 'Smallville' pilot is the one I get a lot of attention for. I did a couple of earlier ones, but the 'Smallville' pilot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nutter/the-smallville-pilot-is-the-one-i-get-a-lot-of-attention-for-i-did-a/) [David Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nutter/) > [I won't name any names, but I've done a couple of shows where once the pilot got picked up, the creators openly said, 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-zea/i-won-t-name-any-names-but-i-ve-done-a-couple-of-shows-where-once-the/) [Natalie Zea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-zea/) > [Being on a successful show is kind of like being a sea turtle. Every year, sea turtles lay hundreds and hundreds of eggs, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiko-agena/being-on-a-successful-show-is-kind-of-like-being-a-sea-turtle-every/) [Keiko Agena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiko-agena/) > [Nothing's worse than telling your family you got a pilot, hearing the pilot got picked up, and then finding out it's not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dreama-walker/nothing-s-worse-than-telling-your-family-you-got-a-pilot-hearing-the/) [Dreama Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dreama-walker/) > [I have been a fan of Dexter since the pilot. Once I got the audition I just squealed, and you would have thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-garcia/i-have-been-a-fan-of-dexter-since-the-pilot-once-i-got-the-audition-i/) [Aimee Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-garcia/) > [Now that I know what goes into making a pilot, keeping it on the air, and keeping your fans, I'm at a point now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/now-that-i-know-what-goes-into-making-a-pilot-keeping-it-on-the-air/) [Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/) > [The pilot cannot mitigate the billows or calm the winds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-pilot-cannot-mitigate-the-billows-or-calm-the-winds/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [JJ Abrams is definitely a guy that when he calls, you want to answer. He's incredibly focused. When he was shooting the pilot on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-garcia/jj-abrams-is-definitely-a-guy-that-when-he-calls-you-want-to-answer/) [Jorge Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-garcia/) > [The pilot says, "Where do you want to go?" and that's always a rather existential question, because naturally I think a bit about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/the-pilot-says-where-do-you-want-to-go-and-that-s-always-a-rather/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) > [“The art of life is the art of avoiding pain: and he is the best pilot who steers clearest of the rocks and shoals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-art-of-life-is-the-art-of-avoiding-pain-and-he-is-the-best-pilot/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Pilot season tends to be grueling, because you can be thrown all of these auditions at once - last-minute, always - and you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/pilot-season-tends-to-be-grueling-because-you-can-be-thrown-all-of/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I did do an American pilot, but it wasnt shot in America, it was shot in South Africa. It was called The Philanthropist, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-mcelligott/i-did-do-an-american-pilot-but-it-wasnt-shot-in-america-it-was-shot/) [Dominique McElligott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-mcelligott/) > [ Truthfully, in the beginning \[of MacGyver\] this could have gone either way, and as it turned out there was a version that was done… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/truthfully-in-the-beginning-of-macgyver-this-could-have-gone-either/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [My pilot's license. I'm proud of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/my-pilot-s-license-i-m-proud-of-that/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) ## More by Kevin Nealon > [I learned how to draw from being bored in school. I would doodle on the margins of my paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-learned-how-to-draw-from-being-bored-in-school-i-would-doodle-on/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I'd been doing some light-beer commercials for Budweiser and Coors, and I was doing stand-up comedy. I wanted to get into the acting world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-d-been-doing-some-light-beer-commercials-for-budweiser-and-coors/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I think people really appreciate clever commercials, as do I. I think they're very entertaining. You just have to wade through all the garbage.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-think-people-really-appreciate-clever-commercials-as-do-i-i-think/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [If you want a transcript of tonight's program, get a pen and write down everything I said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/if-you-want-a-transcript-of-tonight-s-program-get-a-pen-and-write/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I really like to read when I'm eating - 'The New York Times' or the 'Wall Street Journal,' paper version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-really-like-to-read-when-i-m-eating-the-new-york-times-or-the-wall/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I've noticed a surge when I go out somewhere, or if I'm doing stand-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-ve-noticed-a-surge-when-i-go-out-somewhere-or-if-i-m-doing-stand-up/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I play a lot of sports. I'm not real good at any of them. I'm above adequate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-play-a-lot-of-sports-i-m-not-real-good-at-any-of-them-i-m-above/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [As a comedian, you're kind of like a blues musician; you have to live a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/as-a-comedian-you-re-kind-of-like-a-blues-musician-you-have-to-live-a/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [Roxanne came along in '86, when I was doing a lot of stand-up. I auditioned for the movie, and of course I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/roxanne-came-along-in-86-when-i-was-doing-a-lot-of-stand-up-i/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I became a vegetarian after I became aware of factory farming and slaughterhouses and the torture and inhumane handling of all these animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-became-a-vegetarian-after-i-became-aware-of-factory-farming-and/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I have a severe addiction to 'Angry Birds.' I always tell myself, 'One more game...' But then there's always another and another and another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-have-a-severe-addiction-to-angry-birds-i-always-tell-myself-one/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I really enjoyed working on the 2009 film, 'Aliens in the Attic,' because it was shot in New Zealand and I got to visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-really-enjoyed-working-on-the-2009-film-aliens-in-the-attic-because/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I tried to read the Bible, I did, but it always felt like a much less awesome Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-tried-to-read-the-bible-i-did-but-it-always-felt-like-a-much-less/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [I don't smoke pot or cigarettes, so inhaling smoke as a non-smoker - it doesn't matter what it is, it's going to make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/i-don-t-smoke-pot-or-cigarettes-so-inhaling-smoke-as-a-non-smoker-it/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [Breaking News: Winds so strong in NYC The Statue of Liberty's gown just blew off!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/breaking-news-winds-so-strong-in-nyc-the-statue-of-liberty-s-gown/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) [Explore all 77 Kevin Nealon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) ## More Casts quotes > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. 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We all just focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-jacobson/i-was-focused-on-the-hunger-games-movie-with-my-director-with-the/) [Nina Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-jacobson/) > [All my life I've been involved with racial politics. I was a Freedom Rider in the South. I was the author of books on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/all-my-life-i-ve-been-involved-with-racial-politics-i-was-a-freedom/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) > [God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties and entanglements, is to cast off His authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/god-hath-work-to-do-in-this-world-and-to-desert-it-because-of-its/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-bullet-that-will-kill-me-is-not-yet-cast/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [I think that people who stand up for what they believe in, no matter how unpopular, should be celebrated, not cast aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-lancaster/i-think-that-people-who-stand-up-for-what-they-believe-in-no-matter/) [Craig Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-lancaster/) > [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/) [Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/) > [Now, we are agreed, I and my destinies. 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I would do with something inspired by the work of Guy Bourdin, my favorite photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-would-always-cast-meryl-streep-for-everything-i-would-do-with/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) Browse all 2,106 Casts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first began doing TV pilots, my expectations were high. I didn't understand that world. So when 'Weeds' took off, I was so happy. Especially as I was just a guest star in the pilot. 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