--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was just starting out, I had two…" description: "\"When I was just starting out, I had two choices: I could be the beautiful girl on the main man's arm as decoration, or I would have to do a little inde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png" --- # When I was just starting out, I had two choices: I could… ![“When I was just starting out, I had two choices: I could be the beautiful girl on the main man's arm as decoration, or I would have to do a little independent movie to get any depth in the female character.” quote by Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png) > “When I was just starting out, I had two choices: I could be the beautiful girl on the main man's arm as decoration, or I would have to do a little independent movie to get any depth in the female character.” [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing between superficial fame and meaningful artistic work defines early career decisions. **In simple terms:** Choose depth over decoration. Key Takeaway Prioritize roles that develop character. Themes career art identity choices Mood reflective determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - acting auditions - indie film projects - career planning Key Concepts feminist theory self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - What role would you accept for growth? - How to balance visibility with substance? A Different Perspective Depth may limit mainstream exposure and income. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arm Decoration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arm-decoration-5655524/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Female character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-character/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Girl Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-main-5655522/) [Independent Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-movie-351066/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Starting Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-choices-5655523/) [Two choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-choices/) ## Related quotes > [It's great to have female characters that have depth that you can explore instead of being the decoration or the girlfriend or the wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/it-s-great-to-have-female-characters-that-have-depth-that-you-can/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [Usually, witches are the little side character... a bad female character that comes in and leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/usually-witches-are-the-little-side-character-a-bad-female-character/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I do love that witches haven't really been explored that much. Usually, witches are the little side character... a bad female character that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-do-love-that-witches-haven-t-really-been-explored-that-much-usually/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I do love that witches havent really been explored that much. Usually, witches are the little side character... a bad female character that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-do-love-that-witches-havent-really-been-explored-that-much-usually/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I think to do a proper independent movie, in my experience, it takes 22 or 23 days to shoot. That was 'Party Girl' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-to-do-a-proper-independent-movie-in-my-experience-it-takes-22/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [ I like collaboration, I like to incorporate other people's ideas \[and\] that's what happens when you do a big movie. Unless you're called Stanley… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-like-collaboration-i-like-to-incorporate-other-people-s-ideas-and/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [It's very difficult to put together an independent movie and a lot of times people really don't hire casting directors for that. Instead, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-crampton/it-s-very-difficult-to-put-together-an-independent-movie-and-a-lot-of/) [Barbara Crampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-crampton/) > [I don't know what the misconceptions are, but I approach a small budget, artsy, independent movie in the same way as a big budget,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-kurylenko/i-don-t-know-what-the-misconceptions-are-but-i-approach-a-small/) [Olga Kurylenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-kurylenko/) > [You know, it was a small, independent movie and with Paramount becoming involved, it was obviously a good thing, but you can't put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-liotta/you-know-it-was-a-small-independent-movie-and-with-paramount-becoming/) [Ray Liotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-liotta/) > [I went from doing Friends to doing an independent movie and I just directed two pilots for NBC](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-schwimmer/i-went-from-doing-friends-to-doing-an-independent-movie-and-i-just/) [David Schwimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-schwimmer/) > [I'm in the middle of just trying to impress my nieces, who think I work for the bus company because they saw a picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/i-m-in-the-middle-of-just-trying-to-impress-my-nieces-who-think-i/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [We call that Sean's little independent movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-duke/we-call-that-sean-s-little-independent-movie/) [Patty Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-duke/) > [I gravitated back to theatre again, and when I heard about this little independent movie called 'Lady Bird,' I thought, 'This will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-metcalf/i-gravitated-back-to-theatre-again-and-when-i-heard-about-this-little/) [Laurie Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-metcalf/) > [We got together and realized that Universal made it clear that they were out of the Riddick business. They didn't want to spend that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/we-got-together-and-realized-that-universal-made-it-clear-that-they/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [Being in the moment with these guys was just a profound experience every day, and when we shoot a movie it's actually a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-moverman/being-in-the-moment-with-these-guys-was-just-a-profound-experience/) [Oren Moverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-moverman/) ## More by Madchen Amick > [It's not very often that you get to come up with ideas and bring your take on the character and then actually have writers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/it-s-not-very-often-that-you-get-to-come-up-with-ideas-and-bring-your/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [Back in the mid '90s, I went to a film festival, and they were airing 'Central Park West' at the same time as this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/back-in-the-mid-90s-i-went-to-a-film-festival-and-they-were-airing/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [The biggest advice I can give loved ones who are supporting someone navigating a newly diagnosed mental illness is patience, patience, and patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/the-biggest-advice-i-can-give-loved-ones-who-are-supporting-someone/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I'm representing the single women out there, dating around, trying to find the right guy who respects you and appreciates you. Maybe I'll settle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-m-representing-the-single-women-out-there-dating-around-trying-to/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [That was the beauty of 'Twin Peaks.' The young people had just as deep of storylines as the older generation in town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/that-was-the-beauty-of-twin-peaks-the-young-people-had-just-as-deep/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [We don't have to look back at da Vinci's work and Albert Einstein's work and Mozart's work. We're actually living in the time period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/we-don-t-have-to-look-back-at-da-vinci-s-work-and-albert-einstein-s/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [Everybody loves vampire stories, and if there's one show in particular that's done really well, it just opens the door and the opportunity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/everybody-loves-vampire-stories-and-if-there-s-one-show-in-particular/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I have played a lot of roles in my career where I'm the sexual interest. I'm always having to fight that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-have-played-a-lot-of-roles-in-my-career-where-i-m-the-sexual/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [My first introduction to television, and really just the business in general, was working with David Lynch, with his incredibly open, creative mind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/my-first-introduction-to-television-and-really-just-the-business-in/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I was a huge 'Bewitched' fan growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-was-a-huge-bewitched-fan-growing-up/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I do love that witches havent really been explored that much. Usually, witches are the little side character... a bad female character that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-do-love-that-witches-havent-really-been-explored-that-much-usually/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I worry that when educational counselors and teachers call in families with concerns about a child having a learning disability, we aren't always looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-worry-that-when-educational-counselors-and-teachers-call-in/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > ['Twin Peaks' was incredibly slow, methodic, taking shots that were uncomfortably long, with a lot of scenes where there was barely any dialogue. 'Riverdale'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/twin-peaks-was-incredibly-slow-methodic-taking-shots-that-were/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [You get along with certain people, but sometimes it feels like a job and you don't feel that instant connection with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/you-get-along-with-certain-people-but-sometimes-it-feels-like-a-job/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [I am so lucky that throughout my career I've been able to play such different characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/i-am-so-lucky-that-throughout-my-career-i-ve-been-able-to-play-such/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) [Explore all 56 Madchen Amick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) ## More Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was just starting out, I had two choices: I could be the beautiful girl on the main man's arm as decoration, or I would have to do a little independent movie to get any depth in the female character.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madchen Amick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-choices-i-could-be-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-choices-i-could-be-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/madchen-amick-12188_beautiful_when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-c_1526872.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was just starting out, I had two choices: I could be the beautiful girl on the main man's arm as…” — Madchen Amick", "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": "Madchen Amick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was just starting out,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-choices-i-could-be-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/when-i-was-just-starting-out-i-had-two-choices-i-could-be-the/#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 } } ] } ```