--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an actor, you never know where the…" description: "\"As an actor, you never know where the works going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.\" — Lesley Nicol" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png" --- # As an actor, you never know where the works going to come… ![“As an actor, you never know where the works going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.” quote by Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png) > “As an actor, you never know where the works going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.” [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors must stay adaptable because opportunities arise unexpectedly and change often. **In simple terms:** Actors need flexibility for surprise roles. Key Takeaway Embrace change and stay ready. Themes flexibility career creativity Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - auditions - improvisation - career pivots - networking Key Concepts adaptability opportunity uncertainty Questions to Reflect On - How do you prepare for unexpected roles? - What habits keep you adaptable? A Different Perspective Flexibility alone doesn't guarantee success without skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [As an actor, you never know where the work's going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-work-s-going-to-come-so-you-have/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [If it works out, you're going to be working on this for 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/if-it-works-out-you-re-going-to-be-working-on-this-for-10-years/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [It's not until the very last phase that you know how good the works are going to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caio-fonseca/it-s-not-until-the-very-last-phase-that-you-know-how-good-the-works/) [Caio Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caio-fonseca/) > [“We're professionals. People make deals, they need to stick to them. That's the way it works, if it's going to work at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/we-re-professionals-people-make-deals-they-need-to-stick-to-them-that/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [But you really - I always think that a director has got to adapt to whatever the needs of the actor are. You know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-condon/but-you-really-i-always-think-that-a-director-has-got-to-adapt-to/) [Bill Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-condon/) > [The best part about being in your thirties is you know what works for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-chhetri/the-best-part-about-being-in-your-thirties-is-you-know-what-works-for/) [Sunil Chhetri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-chhetri/) > [“I know how it works, I just need to figure out how to make it work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilip-jain/i-know-how-it-works-i-just-need-to-figure-out-how-to-make-it-work/) Dilip Jain > [You need to know what doesn't work to know what works. It's especially true in improv and stand-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/you-need-to-know-what-doesn-t-work-to-know-what-works-it-s-especially/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [To truly know what works, you have to learn what doesn't work first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brogan/to-truly-know-what-works-you-have-to-learn-what-doesn-t-work-first/) [Chris Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brogan/) > [The professorial dictum has always been to write what you know, but I say write what you don't know and find something out. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-professorial-dictum-has-always-been-to-write-what-you-know-but-i/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I know for works for me - those wonderful sad love songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-braxton/i-know-for-works-for-me-those-wonderful-sad-love-songs/) [Toni Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-braxton/) > [I've been lucky enough to have made enough of these types of children's books that while I don't necessarily know what works, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-willems/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-have-made-enough-of-these-types-of-children/) [Mo Willems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-willems/) > [I think that in the end, the people are not fooled by promotion. They want to know that something works and is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-pucci/i-think-that-in-the-end-the-people-are-not-fooled-by-promotion-they/) [Emilio Pucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-pucci/) > [I know what works for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-groves/i-know-what-works-for-me/) [George Groves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-groves/) > [“Because I want to know how it works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-duntemann/because-i-want-to-know-how-it-works/) Jeff Duntemann ## More by Lesley Nicol > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd got 'Downton Abbey' when I was 22.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-sometimes-wonder-what-it-would-have-been-like-if-i-d-got-downton/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I have been invited to do something called 'Celebrity MasterChef' in England, which, of course, I can't do. It's complete nonsense. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-have-been-invited-to-do-something-called-celebrity-masterchef-in/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [My poor cooking is legendary among my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/my-poor-cooking-is-legendary-among-my-friends/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I inherited my weight problem from my mum. She was always on diets. If there was a box of chocolates in the house, she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-inherited-my-weight-problem-from-my-mum-she-was-always-on-diets-if/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Coming eyeball to eyeball with a hummingbird on my terrace is as exciting to me as any celebrity I've met as a result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/coming-eyeball-to-eyeball-with-a-hummingbird-on-my-terrace-is-as/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I think I should be a nightclub singer. I love to sing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-think-i-should-be-a-nightclub-singer-i-love-to-sing/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I want to have a scene with Maggie Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-want-to-have-a-scene-with-maggie-smith/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I go dog-walking a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-go-dog-walking-a-lot/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I always admire people who have passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-always-admire-people-who-have-passion/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [As an actor, you never know where the work's going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-work-s-going-to-come-so-you-have/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I've not cooked Christmas dinner since 1982.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-ve-not-cooked-christmas-dinner-since-1982/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I quite like L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-quite-like-l-a/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [I don't do freeways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/i-don-t-do-freeways/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) > [Ive not cooked Christmas dinner since 1982.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/ive-not-cooked-christmas-dinner-since-1982/) [Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) [Explore all 53 Lesley Nicol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/) ## 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. 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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": "As an actor, you never know where the works going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lesley Nicol" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-works-going-to-come-so-you-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-works-going-to-come-so-you-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/154/lesley-nicol-12825_actor_as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-wor_1524145.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As an actor, you never know where the works going to come, so you have to be flexible about it.” — Lesley Nicol", "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": "Lesley Nicol", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As an actor, you never know...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-works-going-to-come-so-you-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/as-an-actor-you-never-know-where-the-works-going-to-come-so-you-have/#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 } } ] } ```