--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being an actor is just like being any…" description: "\"Being an actor is just like being any other sort of self-employed person - we're all just happy to have a job in the first place, but we also thrive of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png" --- # Being an actor is just like being any other sort of… ![“Being an actor is just like being any other sort of self-employed person - we're all just happy to have a job in the first place, but we also thrive off the uncertainty of it.” quote by Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png) > “Being an actor is just like being any other sort of self-employed person - we're all just happy to have a job in the first place, but we also thrive off the uncertainty of it.” [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting resembles self‑employment: we’re grateful for any work but thrive on its inherent uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Acting is like self‑employment, valued for work and uncertainty. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty as a growth driver. Themes career uncertainty self‑employment Mood reflective encouraging Type professional philosophical When to use this quote - freelance work - career counseling - personal development Key Concepts risk management creative entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty fuel creativity? - What strategies manage it? A Different Perspective May romanticize instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-just/) [Also](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/also/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [Happy Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-job-470342/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-happy/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thrive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrive/) [Thrive Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrive-uncertainty-3317414/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) ## Related quotes > [Honestly, I know it sounds corny, but as an actor, I'm just so happy to have a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elden-henson/honestly-i-know-it-sounds-corny-but-as-an-actor-i-m-just-so-happy-to/) [Elden Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elden-henson/) > [I love the idea that I have the power to look for the projects I can put myself into, but I'm still at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/i-love-the-idea-that-i-have-the-power-to-look-for-the-projects-i-can/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [When you first start out, you are just happy to get a job, any job. And as time goes on, either you move forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/when-you-first-start-out-you-are-just-happy-to-get-a-job-any-job-and/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [Whenever I'm doing any film, I'm always just happy to have a job and I always just put 110% of myself into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ian-nicholas/whenever-i-m-doing-any-film-i-m-always-just-happy-to-have-a-job-and-i/) [Thomas Ian Nicholas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ian-nicholas/) > [I'm just happy to have my job with the UFC and my bosses, they know the level of heart that I have, what I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-sanchez/i-m-just-happy-to-have-my-job-with-the-ufc-and-my-bosses-they-know/) [Diego Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-sanchez/) > [I’m already happy with who I am. My job is just to get on the podium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shani-davis/i-m-already-happy-with-who-i-am-my-job-is-just-to-get-on-the-podium/) [Shani Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shani-davis/) > [“It's not my job to make you happy. It's your job to learn that only those who quit selfishly seeking their own happiness find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-s-not-my-job-to-make-you-happy-it-s-your-job-to-learn-that-only/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [How happy you will be when you get a job at Wendy's and are honored with employee of the month.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bare-naked-ladies/how-happy-you-will-be-when-you-get-a-job-at-wendy-s-and-are-honored/) [Bare Naked Ladies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bare-naked-ladies/) > [There are so many talented young actors in the industry. I'm just happy to have a job!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colton-haynes/there-are-so-many-talented-young-actors-in-the-industry-i-m-just/) [Colton Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colton-haynes/) > [If you work in Chicago in the improv scene, anyone is happy for you if you get a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-yeun/if-you-work-in-chicago-in-the-improv-scene-anyone-is-happy-for-you-if/) [Steven Yeun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-yeun/) > [“I want to be happy. To make someone else happy. To do my job well, be a good person”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-evans/i-want-to-be-happy-to-make-someone-else-happy-to-do-my-job-well-be-a/) [Harriet Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-evans/) > [Music is my life. The last job I had, I was a bricklayer's apprentice. And I was happy with that job, too, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/music-is-my-life-the-last-job-i-had-i-was-a-bricklayer-s-apprentice/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [When I was doing the first 'American Pie' movie, I was just happy to have a job. We had a good time, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ian-nicholas/when-i-was-doing-the-first-american-pie-movie-i-was-just-happy-to/) [Thomas Ian Nicholas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ian-nicholas/) > [I'm happy to have a job. I play a little, write a little, perform some. It's not like it's an engineered, well-manufactured plan or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-m-happy-to-have-a-job-i-play-a-little-write-a-little-perform-some/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I'm always happy to have a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/i-m-always-happy-to-have-a-job/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) ## More by Martin Freeman > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [My mum was Labour-voting, but wanted us to know we were important. Basically, everyone's equal, but you, my children, are a bit better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/my-mum-was-labour-voting-but-wanted-us-to-know-we-were-important/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I would wear a full-length cape if I could get away with it - I do love a good swirl in a fog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-would-wear-a-full-length-cape-if-i-could-get-away-with-it-i-do-love/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I think people just like seeing friendship. I think people like seeing people who just drive each other up the wall, but at same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-think-people-just-like-seeing-friendship-i-think-people-like-seeing/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I hadn't grown up with 'The Hobbit;' I hadn't grown up with 'Lord of The Rings,' anything like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-hadn-t-grown-up-with-the-hobbit-i-hadn-t-grown-up-with-lord-of-the/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Americans assume all British people have at least one servant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/americans-assume-all-british-people-have-at-least-one-servant/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I could say, 'I want to play a French-African humpback,' but I probably won't get that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-could-say-i-want-to-play-a-french-african-humpback-but-i-probably/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [We can all look on the Internet and go, 'He hates me! Oh, but she loves me. Oh, but he hates me,' you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/we-can-all-look-on-the-internet-and-go-he-hates-me-oh-but-she-loves/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [You absorb 2,000 years of history just by being near the Thames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/you-absorb-2-000-years-of-history-just-by-being-near-the-thames/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I think when see you a character on the screen who is actually being touched by the world, and the stuff is actually landing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-think-when-see-you-a-character-on-the-screen-who-is-actually-being/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I can spot someone with similar fashion sense to me a mile off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-can-spot-someone-with-similar-fashion-sense-to-me-a-mile-off/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I don't like affectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-don-t-like-affectation/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I don't write anything off without reading a script, and if it's a good one, I'll consider it, whether it's for $20 or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-don-t-write-anything-off-without-reading-a-script-and-if-it-s-a/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I think I'm less gloomy than I used to be - I've got a very supportive other half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-think-i-m-less-gloomy-than-i-used-to-be-i-ve-got-a-very-supportive/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [As soon as you get two actors in a room and they're locking eyes, they're doing a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/as-soon-as-you-get-two-actors-in-a-room-and-they-re-locking-eyes-they/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) [Explore all 203 Martin Freeman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) ## 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": "Being an actor is just like being any other sort of self-employed person - we're all just happy to have a job in the first place, but we also thrive off the uncertainty of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Freeman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-other-sort-of-self-employed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-other-sort-of-self-employed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/martin-freeman-1860_actor_being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-ot_2782022.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being an actor is just like being any other sort of self-employed person - we're all just happy to have a…” — Martin Freeman", "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": "Martin Freeman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being an actor is just like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-other-sort-of-self-employed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/being-an-actor-is-just-like-being-any-other-sort-of-self-employed/#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 } } ] } ```