---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's just about trying to find material…"
description: "\"It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to actually get to do scenes that go to interesting ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg"
---

#  It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing…

![“It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to actually get to do scenes that go to interesting places and are challenging to me.” quote by Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg)

> “It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to actually get to do scenes that go to interesting places and are challenging to me.”

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She seeks roles that offer depth beyond a simple plot function, aiming for challenging, meaningful scenes.

**In simple terms:** She wants complex, challenging acting parts.

Key Takeaway

Choose roles that test you creatively.

Themes

career growth creative fulfillment character depth

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- audition preparation
- script analysis
- career planning

Key Concepts

acting storytelling role selection

Questions to Reflect On

- What kinds of scenes push your limits?
- How can you influence script development?

A Different Perspective

Limited opportunities may typecast actors despite effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Interesting places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-places/)

## Related quotes

> [In my experience sometimes the darker the material that you're doing, the more necessary it is to have some sort of levity around. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-stahl/in-my-experience-sometimes-the-darker-the-material-that-you-re-doing/)

[Nick Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-stahl/)

> [When a book is just a plot, you know, two men fight for the love of a woman in a wild frontier, I immediately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/when-a-book-is-just-a-plot-you-know-two-men-fight-for-the-love-of-a/)

[Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/)

> [I am not trying to do material which I cannot do full out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-am-not-trying-to-do-material-which-i-cannot-do-full-out/)

[Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/)

> [A comedy club is a place where you work out material, you're trying material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/a-comedy-club-is-a-place-where-you-work-out-material-you-re-trying/)

[Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/)

> [It definitely takes a long time, because Umbrella Academy' scenes are very interesting from a writing point of view with all these very off-the-cuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gallagher/it-definitely-takes-a-long-time-because-umbrella-academy-scenes-are/)

[Aidan Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gallagher/)

> [Television has got bigger and allowed cinematography to be a better on the smaller screen, using 'cinema-type' skills. When the shots and scenes have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-watkins/television-has-got-bigger-and-allowed-cinematography-to-be-a-better/)

[Jason Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-watkins/)

> [I do read some of the scripts from America and, even though the themes or subject of the film is very interesting, and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mads-mikkelsen/i-do-read-some-of-the-scripts-from-america-and-even-though-the-themes/)

[Mads Mikkelsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mads-mikkelsen/)

> [I never think about Wall Street - why should I - but to go down there so often while filming 'Working Girl,' to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/i-never-think-about-wall-street-why-should-i-but-to-go-down-there-so/)

[Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/)

> [India's a very interesting place... there's no formal opposition, but there's genuine on-the-ground opposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/india-s-a-very-interesting-place-there-s-no-formal-opposition-but/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The most interesting place by far was Afghanistan. Just because it is a place that I cannot see myself living. The hardness of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/the-most-interesting-place-by-far-was-afghanistan-just-because-it-is/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [Anyone who has walked through the deserted palaces of Versailles or Vienna realise how much of a part of the life of a nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rees-mogg/anyone-who-has-walked-through-the-deserted-palaces-of-versailles-or/)

[William Rees-Mogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rees-mogg/)

> [I think Melbourne is by far and away the most interesting place in Australia, and I thought if I ever wrote a novel or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-temple/i-think-melbourne-is-by-far-and-away-the-most-interesting-place-in/)

[Peter Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-temple/)

> [I was going round the world searching for an interesting place, when I realized that the place that I was in was already interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-gowin/i-was-going-round-the-world-searching-for-an-interesting-place-when-i/)

[Emmet Gowin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-gowin/)

> [Republican Congressmen and senators will be in a very interesting place, where they have to support the president-elect - president - what will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/republican-congressmen-and-senators-will-be-in-a-very-interesting/)

[William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/)

> [I looked around at what my colleagues were doing, and asked myself, 'What relationship has it with what's going on?' I found there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/i-looked-around-at-what-my-colleagues-were-doing-and-asked-myself/)

[Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/)

## More by Mary Elizabeth Winstead

> [I grew up in a big movie house, we watched movies all the time, so I had an awareness at a very young age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-grew-up-in-a-big-movie-house-we-watched-movies-all-the-time-so-i/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I think a lot of fans immediately go, 'ugggh' when they hear that someone is doing a prequel or a remake, they sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-think-a-lot-of-fans-immediately-go-ugggh-when-they-hear-that/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I don't think people understand when you say you are making a micro-budget film that you are getting paid no money,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-don-t-think-people-understand-when-you-say-you-are-making-a-micro/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [Some of those things come out and you don't know where they came from - somebody's leaking totally false information. They follow you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/some-of-those-things-come-out-and-you-don-t-know-where-they-came-from/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I think these are such different films that it's hard to compare, because with Quentin we were all just like, it was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-think-these-are-such-different-films-that-it-s-hard-to-compare/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I think thinking about becoming an adult, and having to face up to your problems and face up to your insecurities, is difficult for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-think-thinking-about-becoming-an-adult-and-having-to-face-up-to/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I'm a huge Paul Thomas Anderson fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-m-a-huge-paul-thomas-anderson-fan/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I was that overachieving, annoying kid who was always trying to win some contest or win the role. I look back on it now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-was-that-overachieving-annoying-kid-who-was-always-trying-to-win/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I feel like most horror films are made for teenagers about teenagers. I've done a couple of those horror films. There's nothing wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-feel-like-most-horror-films-are-made-for-teenagers-about-teenagers/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I always felt that my talent would trump everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-always-felt-that-my-talent-would-trump-everything/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [So I get all the references and I totally get the humor and it's really fun. This - it's kind of a mash up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/so-i-get-all-the-references-and-i-totally-get-the-humor-and-it-s/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I'm a really cautious person, so I don't let myself get into near-death experiences. I'm not into the idea of skydiving or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-m-a-really-cautious-person-so-i-don-t-let-myself-get-into-near/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I am manageable. I, you know, it'll suffice I think. No, no, I feel pretty good. I trained for a long time and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-am-manageable-i-you-know-it-ll-suffice-i-think-no-no-i-feel-pretty/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I come from a pretty scientific family. My sister is a neurologist and my brother is an engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-come-from-a-pretty-scientific-family-my-sister-is-a-neurologist-and/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [It's surprising to a lot of people because ballerinas look so long, but it's more of a proportion thing. Their legs are long in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/it-s-surprising-to-a-lot-of-people-because-ballerinas-look-so-long/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

[Explore all 97 Mary Elizabeth Winstead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

## More Challenges quotes

> [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/)

[Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/)

> [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/)

[Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/)

> [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/)

[Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/)

> [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/)

[Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/)

> [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/)

Whitney Gaskell

> [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/)

[Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/)

> [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/)

[Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/)

> [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/)

[Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/)

[Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to actually get to do scenes that go to interesting places and are challenging to me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Elizabeth Winstead"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material-where-i-m-doing-more-than/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Challenges"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material-where-i-m-doing-more-than/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/mary-elizabeth-winstead-6801_challenges_it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material_2617885.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's just about trying to find material where I'm doing more than just being a plot device. I want to…” — Mary Elizabeth Winstead",
                "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": "Mary Elizabeth Winstead",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's just about trying to find...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material-where-i-m-doing-more-than/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/it-s-just-about-trying-to-find-material-where-i-m-doing-more-than/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
