--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I became an actor so I didn't have to be…" description: "\"I became an actor so I didn't have to be myself.\" — Mark Ruffalo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg" --- # I became an actor so I didn't have to be myself. ![“I became an actor so I didn't have to be myself.” quote by Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg) > “I became an actor so I didn't have to be myself.” [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He pursued acting to escape his own identity, seeking roles that let him become someone else. **In simple terms:** Acting lets him avoid being himself. Key Takeaway Use performance to explore different selves. Themes identity performance self‑exploration escapism Mood introspective thought‑provoking Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - method acting - character study - improvisation workshops - role‑play therapy Key Concepts role immersion psychology of acting personal transformation Questions to Reflect On - Why do people use art to hide themselves? - Can acting help discover true identity? A Different Perspective Relying on roles may hinder authentic self‑growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-didn/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I come from Nova Scotia, and I'd never seen a theater or been inside of a theater. When I was 17, my dad asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/i-come-from-nova-scotia-and-i-d-never-seen-a-theater-or-been-inside/) [Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/) > [Well, I knew I wanted to be an actor, and I didn't necessarily need or want to be famous or a celebrity actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-fischer/well-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-and-i-didn-t-necessarily-need-or/) [Jenna Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-fischer/) > [At the time of 'Mr. India,' I had just started and was a frustrated actor. I didn't know Calendar would take my career into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/at-the-time-of-mr-india-i-had-just-started-and-was-a-frustrated-actor/) [Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/) > [I've done so many jobs. As an actor, you have to. I didn't have my parents footing the bill when I moved to New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kelly/i-ve-done-so-many-jobs-as-an-actor-you-have-to-i-didn-t-have-my/) [Michael Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kelly/) > [I wanted to become an actor so I didn't have to put on a suit and sell insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-winters/i-wanted-to-become-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-put-on-a-suit-and/) [Dean Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-winters/) > [Seriously I suspected I was a good actor, though I didn't know it during 'Monsoon Wedding.' Now I realize the more I learn, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randeep-hooda/seriously-i-suspected-i-was-a-good-actor-though-i-didn-t-know-it/) [Randeep Hooda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randeep-hooda/) > [I've always wanted to be an actor. I didn't get into this game to be the best improviser in the world. I didn't choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-corddry/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-i-didn-t-get-into-this-game-to-be/) [Rob Corddry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-corddry/) > [I don't think anybody planned for me to be an actor. I didn't. I didn't know this was what I was going to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-peregrym/i-don-t-think-anybody-planned-for-me-to-be-an-actor-i-didn-t-i-didn-t/) [Missy Peregrym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-peregrym/) > [I had been nine years in the theatre and hadn't had massive success. My only thing was I wanted to be an actor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-had-been-nine-years-in-the-theatre-and-hadn-t-had-massive-success/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [There was never any career plan. 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I didn't see that as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-daniels/i-just-never-did-buy-this-idea-that-you-have-to-live-in-los-angeles/) [Jeff Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-daniels/) > [Before acting, I wanted to become a journalist. I also toyed with the idea of being a chef - but that's only when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/before-acting-i-wanted-to-become-a-journalist-i-also-toyed-with-the/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [No, I never thought of it in those terms. I used to go into agents' offices and they'd have pictures of these handsome movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-wallach/no-i-never-thought-of-it-in-those-terms-i-used-to-go-into-agents/) [Eli Wallach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-wallach/) ## More by Mark Ruffalo > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I try to do the things that speak to me in one way or another, and sometimes I'm even drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-try-to-do-the-things-that-speak-to-me-in-one-way-or-another-and/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I got into acting because I wanted to act and I love acting. That's my true north: to be creative and to be challenged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-got-into-acting-because-i-wanted-to-act-and-i-love-acting-that-s-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I have a bag full of stuff that I give to people when they come to my house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-have-a-bag-full-of-stuff-that-i-give-to-people-when-they-come-to-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [When you have to fight for the things you love, you have to measure the value of those things in ways you may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/when-you-have-to-fight-for-the-things-you-love-you-have-to-measure/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I'm very nervous in the beginning and then I get in there and start doing my work and I feel more comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-m-very-nervous-in-the-beginning-and-then-i-get-in-there-and-start/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [We only gain collectively by acting now. We gain by one day not having to pay a thing for fuel. We gain by having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/we-only-gain-collectively-by-acting-now-we-gain-by-one-day-not-having/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I didn't really have any interest in producing anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-didn-t-really-have-any-interest-in-producing-anything/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [But, the relationships that I see work - As long as they're telling the truth, and saying the things that you don't ever want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/but-the-relationships-that-i-see-work-as-long-as-they-re-telling-the/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [For some reason, my whole life has been, 'You can't do this, you can't do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/for-some-reason-my-whole-life-has-been-you-can-t-do-this-you-can-t-do/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I still feel like I'm trying to make it. It's hard to shed the struggling actor thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-still-feel-like-i-m-trying-to-make-it-it-s-hard-to-shed-the/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [A leader in America or anyone who says they truly care about this nation without taking some kind of action is either a liar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/a-leader-in-america-or-anyone-who-says-they-truly-care-about-this/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [There's a level of trust that you have to have with somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-s-a-level-of-trust-that-you-have-to-have-with-somebody/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I don't like this idea of Method. I come from that school, but what I was taught was that it's your imagination. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-don-t-like-this-idea-of-method-i-come-from-that-school-but-what-i/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I like to think the movies that I've picked have something worthwhile to say. Something relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-like-to-think-the-movies-that-i-ve-picked-have-something-worthwhile/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) [Explore all 138 Mark Ruffalo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) ## 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! 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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 became an actor so I didn't have to be myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Ruffalo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be-myself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be-myself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/mark-ruffalo-3142_actors_i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be_2169085.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I became an actor so I didn't have to be myself.” — Mark Ruffalo", "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 Ruffalo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I became an actor so I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be-myself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-became-an-actor-so-i-didn-t-have-to-be-myself/#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 } } ] } ```