--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every actor knows what unemployment is…" description: "\"Every actor knows what unemployment is like, and knows what long periods of unemployment are like, unless you're spectacularly lucky.\" — Mark Bonnar" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg" --- # Every actor knows what unemployment is like, and knows… ![“Every actor knows what unemployment is like, and knows what long periods of unemployment are like, unless you're spectacularly lucky.” quote by Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg) > “Every actor knows what unemployment is like, and knows what long periods of unemployment are like, unless you're spectacularly lucky.” [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unemployment is a common reality for actors, except those exceptionally fortunate. **In simple terms:** Joblessness is typical in acting. Key Takeaway Plan financially for periods without work. Themes employment uncertainty industry dynamics Mood realistic reflective Type advice cautionary When to use this quote - freelance gigs - side hustles - skill diversification - industry networking Key Concepts labor market career volatility networking Questions to Reflect On - How can actors mitigate unemployment risk? - What alternative income streams are viable? A Different Perspective Luck cannot be relied upon; proactive strategies matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployment/) ## Related quotes > [Unemployment is like a headache or a high temperature - unpleasant and exhausting but not carrying in itself any explanation of its cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beveridge/unemployment-is-like-a-headache-or-a-high-temperature-unpleasant-and/) [William Beveridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beveridge/) > [If an actor knows how to milk a cow, I always know it will not be difficult to be in business with him,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/if-an-actor-knows-how-to-milk-a-cow-i-always-know-it-will-not-be/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [To portray a real-life character is the toughest job for an actor because one never knows which direction to flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/to-portray-a-real-life-character-is-the-toughest-job-for-an-actor/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [A good actor is someone who knows how to take the part and make it real and make it honest and be effective in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/a-good-actor-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-take-the-part-and-make-it/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [Any decent actor knows you can't judge the character you're playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lynch/any-decent-actor-knows-you-can-t-judge-the-character-you-re-playing/) [Ross Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lynch/) > [You have to trust your instincts. There is a moment when an actor has it, and he knows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/you-have-to-trust-your-instincts-there-is-a-moment-when-an-actor-has/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [One of my favourite sorts of actors...the rat actor. The rat actor knows his job and gets it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/one-of-my-favourite-sorts-of-actors-the-rat-actor-the-rat-actor-knows/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [We are not what we seem. We are more than what we seem. The actor knows that. And because the actor knows that hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/we-are-not-what-we-seem-we-are-more-than-what-we-seem-the-actor-knows/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [All actors do that. Should do that and do that. For the most part. I say all actors. I'm exaggerating, but you know who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-keitel/all-actors-do-that-should-do-that-and-do-that-for-the-most-part-i-say/) [Harvey Keitel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-keitel/) > [Acting can be a very cruel mistress. It's not a meritocracy. In other walks of life, by being good at what you do, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strong/acting-can-be-a-very-cruel-mistress-it-s-not-a-meritocracy-in-other/) [Mark Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strong/) > [A good actor knows exactly what the camera wants, what the sound wants, where to find the light and how to tell a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-barnard/a-good-actor-knows-exactly-what-the-camera-wants-what-the-sound-wants/) [Aneurin Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-barnard/) > [ Denzel \[Washington\] just knows the actor. He knows the process, and you don't often get that. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/denzel-washington-just-knows-the-actor-he-knows-the-process-and-you/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [By the time an actor knows how to act any sort of part he is often too old to act any but a few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/by-the-time-an-actor-knows-how-to-act-any-sort-of-part-he-is-often/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [An actor knows much more about a character than the character knows about himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/an-actor-knows-much-more-about-a-character-than-the-character-knows/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [The only direction I can give to an actor, a good actor who knows his skills, is, 'Here are those words. They're yours. Make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/the-only-direction-i-can-give-to-an-actor-a-good-actor-who-knows-his/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) ## More by Mark Bonnar > [I think all children love to dress up and play make believe. It's just that I never stopped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-think-all-children-love-to-dress-up-and-play-make-believe-it-s-just/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [Driving to set for 'The Rig', the route went right past my old secondary school. Every morning when I was going to work, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/driving-to-set-for-the-rig-the-route-went-right-past-my-old-secondary/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [Some of the best jokes are about funerals or people dying or whatever. Laughter and tears are two sides of the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/some-of-the-best-jokes-are-about-funerals-or-people-dying-or-whatever/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [I have lived in England for a long time. And I love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-have-lived-in-england-for-a-long-time-and-i-love-it/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [Success is something that other people always point out. I don't think one ever thinks of oneself as successful, because if you do, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/success-is-something-that-other-people-always-point-out-i-don-t-think/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [London and the surrounds are a great place to be. It is a great part of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/london-and-the-surrounds-are-a-great-place-to-be-it-is-a-great-part/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [I spent the first 10 years of my career playing psychotic Scotsman. I'm still playing psychotic Scotsmen really, they've just become a bit funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-spent-the-first-10-years-of-my-career-playing-psychotic-scotsman-i/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [According to a lot of people I am in everything and they're sick of the sight of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/according-to-a-lot-of-people-i-am-in-everything-and-they-re-sick-of/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [Actors are used to staring at the walls waiting for the phone to ring. It's not unchartered territory for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/actors-are-used-to-staring-at-the-walls-waiting-for-the-phone-to-ring/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [There's nothing like driving into Glencoe and feeling for the first time that you're in the Highlands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/there-s-nothing-like-driving-into-glencoe-and-feeling-for-the-first/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [I started writing my own symphony. I wrote about a page and a half. My mum and dad took it into music class and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-started-writing-my-own-symphony-i-wrote-about-a-page-and-a-half-my/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [In history we studied the bog man. Do you remember the bog man? I was absolutely fascinated by this. When something brings the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/in-history-we-studied-the-bog-man-do-you-remember-the-bog-man-i-was/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [Work breeds a bit of work sometimes. If you're in the right place at the right time, that can lead to other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/work-breeds-a-bit-of-work-sometimes-if-you-re-in-the-right-place-at/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [There's nothing quite like being able to get into the minds of other people, and figure out how they work, and what makes other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/there-s-nothing-quite-like-being-able-to-get-into-the-minds-of-other/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [I made a conscious decision after I did 'The Duchess of Malfi' at the Old Vic in 2012, when my daughter was six months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-made-a-conscious-decision-after-i-did-the-duchess-of-malfi-at-the/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) [Explore all 34 Mark Bonnar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) ## 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": "Every actor knows what unemployment is like, and knows what long periods of unemployment are like, unless you're spectacularly lucky.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Bonnar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-like-and-knows-what-long/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-like-and-knows-what-long/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/mark-bonnar-18812_actor_every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-l_1950338.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every actor knows what unemployment is like, and knows what long periods of unemployment are like, unless…” — Mark Bonnar", "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": "Mark Bonnar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every actor knows what unemployment is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-like-and-knows-what-long/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/every-actor-knows-what-unemployment-is-like-and-knows-what-long/#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 } } ] } ```