--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's interesting to play a role where you…" description: "\"It's interesting to play a role where you don't really have to preoccupy yourself with any need to convince yourself that you're not acting.\" — Michael..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/michael-c-hall-18635_acting_it-s-interesting-to-play-a-role-where-yo_666350.png" --- # It's interesting to play a role where you don't really… ![“It's interesting to play a role where you don't really have to preoccupy yourself with any need to convince yourself that you're not acting.” quote by Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/michael-c-hall-18635_acting_it-s-interesting-to-play-a-role-where-yo_666350.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/michael-c-hall-18635_acting_it-s-interesting-to-play-a-role-where-yo_666350.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/michael-c-hall-18635_acting_it-s-interesting-to-play-a-role-where-yo_666350.png) > “It's interesting to play a role where you don't really have to preoccupy yourself with any need to convince yourself that you're not acting.” [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting without self‑convincing frees you from anxiety, allowing authentic performance. **In simple terms:** Act without overthinking. Key Takeaway Embrace role without self‑doubt. Themes authenticity performance anxiety Mood contemplative encouraging Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - theatre - public speaking - interviews - social interactions Key Concepts psychology of acting mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑doubt affect your work? - When can you let go of over‑analysis? A Different Perspective Lack of self‑convincing may lead to disengagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Convince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince/) [Convince Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince-acting-4993871/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Interesting Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-play/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-role/) [Role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role/) ## Related quotes > [I juggle so many hats that it takes something really special to convince me to get back to acting in films or TV serials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/i-juggle-so-many-hats-that-it-takes-something-really-special-to/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [As for me, it is interesting to play a role that is not human; it is nice to be all powerful without fancy action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/as-for-me-it-is-interesting-to-play-a-role-that-is-not-human-it-is/) [Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/) > [Certainly I find it most interesting to play a role that I can invent from nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/certainly-i-find-it-most-interesting-to-play-a-role-that-i-can-invent/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [As an actor, you ask yourself what you can do to put yourself in a position where you can play that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-northam/as-an-actor-you-ask-yourself-what-you-can-do-to-put-yourself-in-a/) [Jeremy Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-northam/) > [Within the Arab circle there is a role wandering aimlessly in search of a hero. For some reason it seems to me that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gamal-abdel-nasser/within-the-arab-circle-there-is-a-role-wandering-aimlessly-in-search/) [Gamal Abdel Nasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gamal-abdel-nasser/) > [“Play the role,” Lula said. “That’s what we do. We pick a role and we play it. What role you want to play?” “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/play-the-role-lula-said-that-s-what-we-do-we-pick-a-role-and-we-play/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I play one role until I take on another, which is exactly what a professional actor should do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-moore/i-play-one-role-until-i-take-on-another-which-is-exactly-what-a/) [Roger Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-moore/) > [A warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-warrior-does-not-spend-his-days-trying-to-play-the-role-that-others/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“We can only fix our own lives. We cannot play the role of gods in someone else's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brody/we-can-only-fix-our-own-lives-we-cannot-play-the-role-of-gods-in/) [Jessica Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brody/) > [I think the best characters are people you're not sure of, that you keep on going: 'God, I hate that person,' but you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-lester/i-think-the-best-characters-are-people-you-re-not-sure-of-that-you/) [Adrian Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-lester/) > [I pretty much always stuck to the most interesting part I could play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-grant/i-pretty-much-always-stuck-to-the-most-interesting-part-i-could-play/) [Lee Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-grant/) > [Give me something interesting to play and I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/give-me-something-interesting-to-play-and-i-m-happy/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [It is always interesting to play against a team that has many of the best players in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-azpilicueta/it-is-always-interesting-to-play-against-a-team-that-has-many-of-the/) [Cesar Azpilicueta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-azpilicueta/) > [As a character, it's very interesting to play someone who wants to change their life and have him change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/as-a-character-it-s-very-interesting-to-play-someone-who-wants-to/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I've always loved reprehensible people because they're so much more interesting to play on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-ve-always-loved-reprehensible-people-because-they-re-so-much-more/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## More by Michael C. Hall > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I mean, the competition is really created by the buzz around the Emmys. It's a totally subjective thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-mean-the-competition-is-really-created-by-the-buzz-around-the-emmys/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [Sometimes men present a swagger that suggests a prowess, whether it's sexual or financial. L.A. seems to be a place where trying too hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/sometimes-men-present-a-swagger-that-suggests-a-prowess-whether-it-s/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I've always been really fascinated by Vincent van Gogh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-ve-always-been-really-fascinated-by-vincent-van-gogh/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [Ultimately, I'm a mess. I don't mean I'm a mess, like, emotionally - I mean, I think probably everybody's a mess. David's a mess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/ultimately-i-m-a-mess-i-don-t-mean-i-m-a-mess-like-emotionally-i-mean/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I'm never more encouraged than to hear someone talk about how eerie it is that I move like my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-m-never-more-encouraged-than-to-hear-someone-talk-about-how-eerie/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [Being in a relationship, I only appreciate when I come home from work how much I've given of myself at work or how depleted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/being-in-a-relationship-i-only-appreciate-when-i-come-home-from-work/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I have this dream where Little Chino keeps showing up at my door. I would have to kill him even though I was at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-have-this-dream-where-little-chino-keeps-showing-up-at-my-door-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“One thing that was beyond our wildest dreams was that somehow the simulation of arguably justifiable serial murder could bring people together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/one-thing-that-was-beyond-our-wildest-dreams-was-that-somehow-the/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I think anybody would be hard pressed not to relate to at least one of the characters, because there's so many different multifaceted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-think-anybody-would-be-hard-pressed-not-to-relate-to-at-least-one/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [So it's really nice after about a year and a half to get back on stage and flex those old muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/so-it-s-really-nice-after-about-a-year-and-a-half-to-get-back-on/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [As time passes, I feel more and more a sense of acting being a fundamental part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/as-time-passes-i-feel-more-and-more-a-sense-of-acting-being-a/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I think Dexter is a man who ... a part of himself is very much frozen, or arrested in a place that is pre-memory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-think-dexter-is-a-man-who-a-part-of-himself-is-very-much-frozen-or/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I like to think I am well-mannered. If I have the option at a breakfast place, I'll go with the grits. That's how Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-like-to-think-i-am-well-mannered-if-i-have-the-option-at-a/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [My mother is a survivor who's had a lot of things happen in her life that have been very trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/my-mother-is-a-survivor-who-s-had-a-lot-of-things-happen-in-her-life/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) [Explore all 34 Michael C. Hall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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