--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always wanted to be an actor, even when…" description: "\"I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little kid. When I used to run away from home, I'd go to movies and sit all night watching Kirk Dougl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg" --- # I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little… ![“I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little kid. When I used to run away from home, I'd go to movies and sit all night watching Kirk Douglas. When I was 16, I tried getting into the Actors Studio, and they told me to get lost. I said 'I'll come back when I'm a man,' and I came back…” quote by Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg) > “I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little kid. When I used to run away from home, I'd go to movies and sit all night watching Kirk Douglas. When I was 16, I tried getting into the Actors Studio, and they told me to get lost. I said 'I'll come back when I'm a man,' and I came back when I was 30.” [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Persistence and self‑belief can overcome early rejection; timing and maturity matter. **In simple terms:** Keep trying despite setbacks; age can bring new opportunities. Key Takeaway Persist and return when ready. Themes career resilience determination Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational career advice When to use this quote - acting auditions - career changes - skill development - entrepreneurial ventures Key Concepts self‑belief timing growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - What doors can you reopen later? - How does age change your approach? A Different Perspective Success may still be limited by external gatekeepers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [All night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-night/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came/) [Came 30](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-30-4935140/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/douglas/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting/) [Getting Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-actors-2294326/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [I came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-came/) [I tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-tried/) [Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kid/) [Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kirk/) [Kirk Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kirk-douglas-2475039/) [Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/) [Little kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-kid/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movies/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Sit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit/) [Studio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studio/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tried/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-actor/) [Watching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching/) ## Related quotes > [I was a Valley girl; I hung out, and through a photographer friend. I met Peter Douglas, who was one of Kirk Douglas's kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-russell/i-was-a-valley-girl-i-hung-out-and-through-a-photographer-friend-i/) [Theresa Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-russell/) > [ There is something that you have that no one else ever had ... When you watch Kirk's \[Douglas\] performance in anything, in anything he's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/there-is-something-that-you-have-that-no-one-else-ever-had-when-you/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [ I've been shooting movies and television shows for now 47 years and I've worked with the best of them and \[Kirk Douglas\] is the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-ve-been-shooting-movies-and-television-shows-for-now-47-years-and-i/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I remember a long, long day of filming and it took forever to get Kirk Douglas up on his cross. We played a terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-simmons/i-remember-a-long-long-day-of-filming-and-it-took-forever-to-get-kirk/) [Jean Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-simmons/) > [If I have a rough day, and I'm angry, I'll just go into Kirk Douglas and throw over a table. And when I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-little/if-i-have-a-rough-day-and-i-m-angry-i-ll-just-go-into-kirk-douglas/) [Rich Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-little/) > [I used to dream of being normal. For me, if Kirk Douglas walked into the house, that was normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-used-to-dream-of-being-normal-for-me-if-kirk-douglas-walked-into/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [ There aren't many male stars - that's a loose term - like Kirk \[Douglas\] around. Most of those virile personalities have to keep working,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/there-aren-t-many-male-stars-that-s-a-loose-term-like-kirk-douglas/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'll admit I started off getting actors to sing my compositions as a marketing strategy, to give the songs and films extra mileage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-sundar/i-ll-admit-i-started-off-getting-actors-to-sing-my-compositions-as-a/) [Gopi Sundar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-sundar/) > [The only guy that was ever affected by climactic conditions in his acting was Kirk Douglas. He did a superb job in 'Lonely Are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-matthau/the-only-guy-that-was-ever-affected-by-climactic-conditions-in-his/) [Walter Matthau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-matthau/) > [“All right," said Ford. "How would you react if I said that I'm not from Guildford at all, but from a small planet somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/all-right-said-ford-how-would-you-react-if-i-said-that-i-m-not-from/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“To find Mr. Darcy, she would have to go back in time… – Isobella Douglas”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-coffman/to-find-mr-darcy-she-would-have-to-go-back-in-time-isobella-douglas/) [Elaine Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-coffman/) > [“Lumea nu merită sacrificiul de a trăi pentru ea, cu atât mai puțin de a muri.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-c-douglas/lumea-nu-merit-sacrificiul-de-a-tr-i-pentru-ea-cu-at-t-mai-pu-in-de-a/) [Lloyd C. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-c-douglas/) > [I'm a fan of Douglas Adams, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-berry/i-m-a-fan-of-douglas-adams-yes/) [Matt Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-berry/) > [Senator Douglas was very small, not over four and a half feet height, and there was a noticeable disproportion between the long trunk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-villard/senator-douglas-was-very-small-not-over-four-and-a-half-feet-height/) [Henry Villard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-villard/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More by Lance Henriksen > [You can't do every movie - although I do a lot of them - and the thing I'm longing to do is... it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/you-can-t-do-every-movie-although-i-do-a-lot-of-them-and-the-thing-i/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [What's frustrating to me is when, on a low-budget movie, people don't take chances. A big-budget movie, that script's your bible; nobody's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/what-s-frustrating-to-me-is-when-on-a-low-budget-movie-people-don-t/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [My feeling is, I do a lot of low-budget films. I don't do low-budget acting. I have no interest in just goofballing my way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/my-feeling-is-i-do-a-lot-of-low-budget-films-i-don-t-do-low-budget/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [You have to take a wheelbarrow full of money and roll out and try to make a movie out of it. But you run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/you-have-to-take-a-wheelbarrow-full-of-money-and-roll-out-and-try-to/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [As a kid, there was a painting of 'Appeal to the Great Spirit' that I would see when I would get oatmeal bowls out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/as-a-kid-there-was-a-painting-of-appeal-to-the-great-spirit-that-i/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [To me rites of passage through life, that's a wonderful, beautiful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/to-me-rites-of-passage-through-life-that-s-a-wonderful-beautiful-thing/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [I've always liked SyFy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/i-ve-always-liked-syfy/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [In the late 1960s, I ended up in Telluride, Colorado. It wasnt like the country club that it is now. It was very raw.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/in-the-late-1960s-i-ended-up-in-telluride-colorado-it-wasnt-like-the/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [Corporate nationalism to me is a little bit like what would have happened if Hitler had won. It's scary stuff. It's totalitarianism in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/corporate-nationalism-to-me-is-a-little-bit-like-what-would-have/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [One of my favorites of all time was with Jim Jarmusch, called 'Dead Man.' I was in that with Johnny Depp. I ride really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/one-of-my-favorites-of-all-time-was-with-jim-jarmusch-called-dead-man/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [I'm pretty slapstick in my life but nobody sees that. You get typecast. I'm from New York and I have a sh\*t-detector that's outspoken.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/i-m-pretty-slapstick-in-my-life-but-nobody-sees-that-you-get-typecast/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [There's a potter that lived back in the 1800s, in Biloxi, Mississippi, and his name was George Ohr. He was of Russian descent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/there-s-a-potter-that-lived-back-in-the-1800s-in-biloxi-mississippi/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [The only one that's appeared in my dreams is the one from Aliens. H.R. Giger's version of that Necronom was almost like a tic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/the-only-one-that-s-appeared-in-my-dreams-is-the-one-from-aliens-h-r/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [You do your work as fully as you can, and the ones who hear the sound join in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/you-do-your-work-as-fully-as-you-can-and-the-ones-who-hear-the-sound/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [You know something, if you're not acting, you're not an actor - you've gotta work. No way around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/you-know-something-if-you-re-not-acting-you-re-not-an-actor-you-ve/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) [Explore all 57 Lance Henriksen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) ## 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": "I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little kid. When I used to run away from home, I'd go to movies and sit all night watching Kirk Douglas. When I was 16, I tried getting into the Actors Studio, and they told me to get lost. I said 'I'll come back when I'm a man,' and I came back when I was 30.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lance Henriksen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when-i-was-a-little-kid-when-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when-i-was-a-little-kid-when-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lance-henriksen-11973_actor_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-even-when_2217417.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little kid. 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