--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had been a ballet dancer and never…" description: "\"I had been a ballet dancer and never could make a living, and just being so excited that I got to, all of a sudden, live as an actor.\" — Lea Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg" --- # I had been a ballet dancer and never could make a living… ![“I had been a ballet dancer and never could make a living, and just being so excited that I got to, all of a sudden, live as an actor.” quote by Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg) > “I had been a ballet dancer and never could make a living, and just being so excited that I got to, all of a sudden, live as an actor.” [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on transitioning from ballet to acting, finding excitement in a new career despite financial challenges. **In simple terms:** She changed careers, feeling excited about acting. Key Takeaway Embrace new opportunities despite uncertainty. Themes career change artistic passion risk resilience Mood hopeful reflective Type inspirational personal narrative When to use this quote - audition process - theatre work - film casting - personal reinvention Key Concepts identity career transition financial stability Questions to Reflect On - How can artists balance passion with livelihood? - What steps help when switching creative fields? A Different Perspective Financial instability can hinder artistic pursuits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-dance/) [Ballet dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-dancer/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I really wanted to make it as a ballet dancer to make my mom proud. But it didnt happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anderson/i-really-wanted-to-make-it-as-a-ballet-dancer-to-make-my-mom-proud-2/) [Tracy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anderson/) > [I really wanted to make it as a ballet dancer to make my mom proud. But it didn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anderson/i-really-wanted-to-make-it-as-a-ballet-dancer-to-make-my-mom-proud/) [Tracy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anderson/) > [On dancing on pointe: Why don't they just get taller girls?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/on-dancing-on-pointe-why-don-t-they-just-get-taller-girls/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [I actually quit ballet when I was offered a job, an apprenticeship at North Carolina Dance Theater Company, run by John Pierre Bonnefoux and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-qualley/i-actually-quit-ballet-when-i-was-offered-a-job-an-apprenticeship-at/) [Margaret Qualley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-qualley/) > [My life isn’t theories and formulae. It’s part instinct, part common sense. Logic is as good a word as any, and I’ve absorbed what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/my-life-isn-t-theories-and-formulae-it-s-part-instinct-part-common/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [I know that dancers, especially ballet dancers, can't do it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-berglund/i-know-that-dancers-especially-ballet-dancers-can-t-do-it-forever/) [Kelli Berglund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-berglund/) > [In order to dance professionally, you have to start at a young age. No matter what, your muscle structure and your bones have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/in-order-to-dance-professionally-you-have-to-start-at-a-young-age-no/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [Dance till the stars come down from the rafters Dance, Dance, Dance 'till you drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/dance-till-the-stars-come-down-from-the-rafters-dance-dance-dance/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I went to 'The Nutcracker' every year with my grandma and aunt. Then, in my early teen years, I thought I wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinkx-monsoon/i-went-to-the-nutcracker-every-year-with-my-grandma-and-aunt-then-in/) [Jinkx Monsoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jinkx-monsoon/) > [No matter what people tell you, you should focus on your goals and you should do what you want to do, especially if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/no-matter-what-people-tell-you-you-should-focus-on-your-goals-and-you/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I always wanted to be an actor. I was one of those lucky kids - or cursed kids - who always knew what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-matheson/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-i-was-one-of-those-lucky-kids-or/) [Tim Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-matheson/) > [How can you live the high life if you do not wear high heels? I don't understand why women wear these ballet pumps. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rykiel/how-can-you-live-the-high-life-if-you-do-not-wear-high-heels-i-don-t/) [Sonia Rykiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rykiel/) > [For ballet dancers, style is about melding personal expression with physical form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-helen-bowers/for-ballet-dancers-style-is-about-melding-personal-expression-with/) [Mary Helen Bowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-helen-bowers/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) ## More by Lea Thompson > [Very good in the Back to the Future movies, but was born to play Caroline in the City.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/very-good-in-the-back-to-the-future-movies-but-was-born-to-play/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [Nowadays with the internet, it's an equal opportunity brutal playing field. I mean, everyone is brutal to everybody half the time. People can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/nowadays-with-the-internet-it-s-an-equal-opportunity-brutal-playing/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [If I don't have to act, I'd rather not. I'd rather not act cold. I'd rather actually be cold. That's my weird way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/if-i-don-t-have-to-act-i-d-rather-not-i-d-rather-not-act-cold-i-d/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [Red Dawn' was very resonant with a lot of people - they love that movie. I always thought it was a little hysterical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/red-dawn-was-very-resonant-with-a-lot-of-people-they-love-that-movie/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [Sitcoms are usually given short shrift by the acting profession, but it's quite an amazing job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/sitcoms-are-usually-given-short-shrift-by-the-acting-profession-but/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [I play a lot of 'Scrabble' with my brother online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-play-a-lot-of-scrabble-with-my-brother-online/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' was a perfect song. It was so beautiful and so heartfelt. Her vocals were so amazing. And, for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/cyndi-lauper-s-time-after-time-was-a-perfect-song-it-was-so-beautiful/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [I don't even know how to swim!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-don-t-even-know-how-to-swim/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [Supporting myself at an early age was the best training for life I could have possibly received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/supporting-myself-at-an-early-age-was-the-best-training-for-life-i/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [I was such a fan of Cyndi Lauper and her whole 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-was-such-a-fan-of-cyndi-lauper-and-her-whole-girls-just-want-to/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [Red Dawn was really the most fun I ever had making a movie, because I love Westerns, and I love the idea of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/red-dawn-was-really-the-most-fun-i-ever-had-making-a-movie-because-i/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [I love really crappy carnivals, where you think the ride is going to break. There's something so seedy about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-love-really-crappy-carnivals-where-you-think-the-ride-is-going-to/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [I enjoy learning about the new technologies. I enjoy getting to know the new fans and dealing with them on their turf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-enjoy-learning-about-the-new-technologies-i-enjoy-getting-to-know/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [The whole experience of doing a sitcom is... Telling jokes with such precision is really exciting, but it's also terrifying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/the-whole-experience-of-doing-a-sitcom-is-telling-jokes-with-such/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [I have to read something positive every single day. I have to have faith that the day is unfolding in a way that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-have-to-read-something-positive-every-single-day-i-have-to-have/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) [Explore all 43 Lea Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) ## 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 had been a ballet dancer and never could make a living, and just being so excited that I got to, all of a sudden, live as an actor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lea Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-could-make-a-living-and-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-could-make-a-living-and-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/lea-thompson-15243_actor_i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-cou_2343495.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had been a ballet dancer and never could make a living, and just being so excited that I got to, all of a…” — Lea Thompson", "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": "Lea Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had been a ballet dancer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-could-make-a-living-and-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/i-had-been-a-ballet-dancer-and-never-could-make-a-living-and-just/#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 } } ] } ```