---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always wanted to be an actor and I'd…"
description: "\"I always wanted to be an actor and I'd never dreamt that not only would I be able to do this for a living, but also on top of that I'd be able to choos..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg"
---

#  I always wanted to be an actor and I'd never dreamt that…

![“I always wanted to be an actor and I'd never dreamt that not only would I be able to do this for a living, but also on top of that I'd be able to choose and steer the course of my own career.” quote by Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg)

> “I always wanted to be an actor and I'd never dreamt that not only would I be able to do this for a living, but also on top of that I'd be able to choose and steer the course of my own career.”

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

## 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 achieving his acting dreams, gaining financial independence, and steering his career path.

**In simple terms:** Achieving dreams, earning money, and directing one’s career.

Key Takeaway

Pursue passion, earn, and shape your destiny.

Themes

career ambition self‑determination creative fulfillment

Mood

inspirational pragmatic reflective

Type

motivational career personal growth

When to use this quote

- acting career planning
- financial independence
- personal development

Key Concepts

Entrepreneurship personal branding industry navigation

Questions to Reflect On

- What trade‑offs are acceptable for career control?
- How to balance passion with practicality?

A Different Perspective

Success may require compromising artistic purity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [I never could have dreamt that I would be able to help girls feel better about themselves. But now I know I can. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iskra-lawrence/i-never-could-have-dreamt-that-i-would-be-able-to-help-girls-feel/)

[Iskra Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iskra-lawrence/)

> [I never wanted to become an actor. I always wanted to be a farmer and dreamt of owning half an acre of agriculture land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pawan-kalyan/i-never-wanted-to-become-an-actor-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-farmer-and/)

[Pawan Kalyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pawan-kalyan/)

> [The led must not be compelled; they must be able to choose their own leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-led-must-not-be-compelled-they-must-be-able-to-choose-their-own/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I started on a very high note and I was alwasy able to choose. I want to be able to do that until my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-bloom/i-started-on-a-very-high-note-and-i-was-alwasy-able-to-choose-i-want/)

[Claire Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-bloom/)

> [Sometimes we are blessed with being able to choose the time, and the arena, and the manner of our revolution, but more usually we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/sometimes-we-are-blessed-with-being-able-to-choose-the-time-and-the/)

[Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/)

> [They seemed to be able to choose. We seemed to be able to choose, then. We were a society dying of too much choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/they-seemed-to-be-able-to-choose-we-seemed-to-be-able-to-choose-then-2/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [You're not always able to choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/you-re-not-always-able-to-choose/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [Being able to choose the skin I live in was the draw of fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/being-able-to-choose-the-skin-i-live-in-was-the-draw-of-fashion/)

[Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/)

> [I do a lot of decision making before each shoot. It's a luxury to be able to choose what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/i-do-a-lot-of-decision-making-before-each-shoot-it-s-a-luxury-to-be/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [I made a conscious decision to earn enough to be able to choose my husband rather than not have a career and marry someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beeny/i-made-a-conscious-decision-to-earn-enough-to-be-able-to-choose-my/)

[Sarah Beeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beeny/)

> [“I am a Freedom Seeker, willing and able to choose my own path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-kempton/i-am-a-freedom-seeker-willing-and-able-to-choose-my-own-path/)

[Beth Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-kempton/)

> [We are able to choose what we want - you don't have to accept one thing from one tradition. It's a melting pot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/we-are-able-to-choose-what-we-want-you-don-t-have-to-accept-one-thing/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [In Hollywood, the ... basic freedom of being able to choose between alternatives is absent. The gifted people who have the capacity for choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-powdermaker/in-hollywood-the-basic-freedom-of-being-able-to-choose-between/)

[Hortense Powdermaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-powdermaker/)

> [“They seemed to be able to choose. We seemed to be able to choose, then. We were a society dying, said Aunt Lydia, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/they-seemed-to-be-able-to-choose-we-seemed-to-be-able-to-choose-then/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [If you like the health insurance that you have you should be able to keep it, but if you don't like the health insurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-wyden/if-you-like-the-health-insurance-that-you-have-you-should-be-able-to/)

[Ron Wyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-wyden/)

## More by Leonardo DiCaprio

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I've gotten to go to far-off places in the world, have very unique, isolated, intense experiences for four or five months at a time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-ve-gotten-to-go-to-far-off-places-in-the-world-have-very-unique/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [It gets to the point where you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not, you're not. It's so true. I have to slow down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/it-gets-to-the-point-where-you-re-hot-you-re-hot-and-when-you-re-not/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I did imitations of anyone who came to my parents' house, and that was my identity at school - if there were ten minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-did-imitations-of-anyone-who-came-to-my-parents-house-and-that-was/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I think people read the tabloids because they want to see you eating a burger, or out of your makeup or doing something stupid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-think-people-read-the-tabloids-because-they-want-to-see-you-eating/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [When I can't immediately define the character, and there's an element of mystery to it and still a lot to be explored, that's when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/when-i-can-t-immediately-define-the-character-and-there-s-an-element/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I remember when I first started having these interpretations of these images, these clichés of what movie stars are and this and that, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-remember-when-i-first-started-having-these-interpretations-of-these/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [It's my first sort of commercial attempt, but it made sense for me because I'm not that kind of guy and I'm not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/it-s-my-first-sort-of-commercial-attempt-but-it-made-sense-for-me/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [We must all move shoulder to shoulder in a unified front to show this administration that the true majority of people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/we-must-all-move-shoulder-to-shoulder-in-a-unified-front-to-show-this/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I get unhappy doing things that I'm not passionate about. Because I feel like I'm squandering this incredible gift I've been given to finance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-get-unhappy-doing-things-that-i-m-not-passionate-about-because-i/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I haven't died in a movie in a while,'The Departed,' 'Body of Lies,' 'Revolutionary Road,' 'Shutter Island' and 'Inception.' I guess I did die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-haven-t-died-in-a-movie-in-a-while-the-departed-body-of-lies/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [Obviously people don't want other people to tell them how to think or what to believe, or to tell them what's right politically and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/obviously-people-don-t-want-other-people-to-tell-them-how-to-think-or/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I've always been spontaneous and outgoing... I've tried lots of things so I've got some good life experiences, which is great 'cause it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-ve-always-been-spontaneous-and-outgoing-i-ve-tried-lots-of-things/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Explore all 311 Leonardo DiCaprio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I always wanted to be an actor and I'd never dreamt that not only would I be able to do this for a living, but also on top of that I'd be able to choose and steer the course of my own career.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leonardo DiCaprio"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-never-dreamt-that-not-only/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-never-dreamt-that-not-only/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a16/leonardo-dicaprio-997_able_i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-n_2154328.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I always wanted to be an actor and I'd never dreamt that not only would I be able to do this for a living…” — Leonardo DiCaprio",
                "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": "Leonardo DiCaprio",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I always wanted to be an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-never-dreamt-that-not-only/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-d-never-dreamt-that-not-only/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
