--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acting, it's hit or miss. Make them…" description: "\"Acting, it's hit or miss. Make them laugh, make them cry; hopefully they have a little entertainment.\" — Melissa Leo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/melissa-leo-9231_acting_acting-it-s-hit-or-miss-make-them-laugh_787034.jpg" --- # Acting, it's hit or miss. Make them laugh, make them cry… ![“Acting, it's hit or miss. Make them laugh, make them cry; hopefully they have a little entertainment.” quote by Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/melissa-leo-9231_acting_acting-it-s-hit-or-miss-make-them-laugh_787034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/melissa-leo-9231_acting_acting-it-s-hit-or-miss-make-them-laugh_787034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/melissa-leo-9231_acting_acting-it-s-hit-or-miss-make-them-laugh_787034.jpg) > “Acting, it's hit or miss. Make them laugh, make them cry; hopefully they have a little entertainment.” [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting involves risk; success lies in evoking emotions and providing entertainment. **In simple terms:** Acting is hit or miss, aiming to move audiences. Key Takeaway Focus on emotional honesty and audience engagement. Themes performance emotion entertainment Mood motivational reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - theatre productions - film auditions - comedic sketches - dramatic monologues Key Concepts acting technique audience connection Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle a performance that falls flat? - What strategies help you connect emotionally with viewers? A Different Perspective Not all performances resonate with every audience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) ## Related quotes > [I think that anybody can go home, put the record on, and listen to it note for note, but there's very little entertainment value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-demarcus/i-think-that-anybody-can-go-home-put-the-record-on-and-listen-to-it/) [Jay DeMarcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-demarcus/) > [I'm still learning to be the best actor I can be, and I have a long way to go to get to the level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-faris/i-m-still-learning-to-be-the-best-actor-i-can-be-and-i-have-a-long/) [Sean Faris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-faris/) > [I want to do straight, dramatic acting so I do a hit show when you get chased by aliens!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/i-want-to-do-straight-dramatic-acting-so-i-do-a-hit-show-when-you-get/) [John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/) > [Once acting hit me, once that bug hit me, I just... took the jump and dove right in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-jacinto/once-acting-hit-me-once-that-bug-hit-me-i-just-took-the-jump-and-dove/) [Manny Jacinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-jacinto/) > [I don't think there's anything Craig Ferguson could say that would make me laugh. Ad-libbing is not the same as entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kindler/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-craig-ferguson-could-say-that-would/) [Andy Kindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kindler/) > [As comedians, we have the opportunity to convey a message that will have an effect. The best can make you laugh and cry, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-pharoah/as-comedians-we-have-the-opportunity-to-convey-a-message-that-will/) [Jay Pharoah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-pharoah/) > [Comedy is much more difficult than tragedy-and a much better training, I think. It's much easier to make people cry than to make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivien-leigh/comedy-is-much-more-difficult-than-tragedy-and-a-much-better-training/) [Vivien Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivien-leigh/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I like to be around people who make me laugh. It's one of my favorite things on a set. I hate it when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-like-to-be-around-people-who-make-me-laugh-it-s-one-of-my-favorite/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [If a woman is funny, that will leave an impression and stay on my brain. A girl should do something, anything, to make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-phillippe/if-a-woman-is-funny-that-will-leave-an-impression-and-stay-on-my/) [Ryan Phillippe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-phillippe/) > [I try to write the books I would love to come upon that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-try-to-write-the-books-i-would-love-to-come-upon-that-are-honest/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I love the people who can make me laugh when I think I can't even smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/i-love-the-people-who-can-make-me-laugh-when-i-think-i-can-t-even/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I do manage to make others laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-vidyarthi/i-do-manage-to-make-others-laugh/) [Ashish Vidyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-vidyarthi/) > [I think that sometimes you do something that makes a small group of people laugh, which is all we were trying to do; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/i-think-that-sometimes-you-do-something-that-makes-a-small-group-of/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-a-time-in-life-when-you-have-to-let-go-of-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Melissa Leo > [My mom was a '70s mom. She paved a road that no one had yet walked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/my-mom-was-a-70s-mom-she-paved-a-road-that-no-one-had-yet-walked/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I love acting. I really do. I think that's maybe the one thing that is known about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-love-acting-i-really-do-i-think-that-s-maybe-the-one-thing-that-is/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [You have to let the costume inform you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/you-have-to-let-the-costume-inform-you/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [That's what acting is. You're not alone. It's reacting. That's what we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/that-s-what-acting-is-you-re-not-alone-it-s-reacting-that-s-what-we-do/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I'm interested in what the fans think, in what would make them feel connected to the Wayward Pines they had grown to love. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-interested-in-what-the-fans-think-in-what-would-make-them-feel/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I always wanted to play a nun, and to play the Reverend Mother was a thrill of a lifetime for me. But, generations back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-always-wanted-to-play-a-nun-and-to-play-the-reverend-mother-was-a/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I know that one of my difficulties as an actor is to try to do too much, from all those years ago when my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-know-that-one-of-my-difficulties-as-an-actor-is-to-try-to-do-too/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I'm a very lucky girl who gets to act for a living! So why sit around griping and grousing about what's not there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-a-very-lucky-girl-who-gets-to-act-for-a-living-so-why-sit-around/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [Well, I don't think of myself as a feminist at all. As soon as we start labeling and categorizing ourselves and others, that's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/well-i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-feminist-at-all-as-soon-as-we-start/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [There were not enough women like Kay on TV and now there are none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/there-were-not-enough-women-like-kay-on-tv-and-now-there-are-none/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I think this notion of acting and glamour is getting in everybody's way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-think-this-notion-of-acting-and-glamour-is-getting-in-everybody-s/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > ["I'm going to show you I haven't given you permission because clearly you're not grown up enough to understand that, not having given you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-going-to-show-you-i-haven-t-given-you-permission-because-clearly/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [Why do we have to pretend we're not in the sales game? I didn't sign on to be a salesman. I signed on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/why-do-we-have-to-pretend-we-re-not-in-the-sales-game-i-didn-t-sign/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I got none. I mean, I have no religion. I like the quote unquote 'Virgin Mary,' but no Catholicism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-got-none-i-mean-i-have-no-religion-i-like-the-quote-unquote-virgin/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [The director is the captain of the ship, without question. No matter what their talent or energy level is, everyone on the crew has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/the-director-is-the-captain-of-the-ship-without-question-no-matter/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) [Explore all 74 Melissa Leo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Acting, it's hit or miss. 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