--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really do think that every time you…" description: "\"I really do think that every time you play a role well, you are in danger of being identified with that role until the next big thing comes along.\" — M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg" --- # I really do think that every time you play a role well… ![“I really do think that every time you play a role well, you are in danger of being identified with that role until the next big thing comes along.” quote by Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg) > “I really do think that every time you play a role well, you are in danger of being identified with that role until the next big thing comes along.” [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excelling in a role can cause typecasting, limiting future opportunities until a new breakthrough. **In simple terms:** Great performance may trap you in that character. Key Takeaway Seek diverse roles to avoid pigeonholing. Themes career identity typecasting Mood thoughtful strategic Type advice observational When to use this quote - auditions - career transitions - public perception - media interviews Key Concepts professional branding role versatility Questions to Reflect On - How can you showcase range without losing recognition? - What strategies prevent being typecast? A Different Perspective Industry demand may still favor familiar images. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-things/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want to be identified by any one role I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-noth/i-don-t-want-to-be-identified-by-any-one-role-i-do/) [Chris Noth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-noth/) > [People say you get identified with a role, and you get stereotyped, but I haven't found that to be the case.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cole/people-say-you-get-identified-with-a-role-and-you-get-stereotyped-but/) [Gary Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cole/) > [First of all, I'm Middle Eastern; I'm Iranian, so to be playing a leading role in a big Hollywood movie, I think, is possibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nazanin-boniadi/first-of-all-i-m-middle-eastern-i-m-iranian-so-to-be-playing-a/) [Nazanin Boniadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nazanin-boniadi/) > [Any role that big is going to be a challenge for any actor, but for an actor of a young age, it's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/any-role-that-big-is-going-to-be-a-challenge-for-any-actor-but-for-an/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [Not coming from a film background, be it a teeny-weeny role or a big role, I have done it with a lot of dignity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shilpa-shetty/not-coming-from-a-film-background-be-it-a-teeny-weeny-role-or-a-big/) [Shilpa Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shilpa-shetty/) > [Especially for people who are unknown, it's easier to get a TV show because you don't have to put a certain amount of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-hewson/especially-for-people-who-are-unknown-it-s-easier-to-get-a-tv-show/) [Eve Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-hewson/) > [I think that's my job to be a little nasty - to bring that energy, protect the paint and really just protect our guys.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-thompson/i-think-that-s-my-job-to-be-a-little-nasty-to-bring-that-energy/) [Tristan Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-thompson/) > [The DJ role, it's never been a big thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-robinson/the-dj-role-it-s-never-been-a-big-thing-for-me/) [Porter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-robinson/) > [I am an actor so I am not satisfied doing only one kind of films, so I try to balance it out whether the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/i-am-an-actor-so-i-am-not-satisfied-doing-only-one-kind-of-films-so-i/) [Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/) > [I've gotta check, but I think I'll be the first UFC fighter in history to have the lead role in a big movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ortega/i-ve-gotta-check-but-i-think-i-ll-be-the-first-ufc-fighter-in-history/) [Brian Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ortega/) > [Paintings may not have nearly the power to convert people that the printed or spoken word has, but each man has his part to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kurelek/paintings-may-not-have-nearly-the-power-to-convert-people-that-the/) William Kurelek > [Never change your originality for the sake of others because no one can play your role better than you. so be yourself you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-24/never-change-your-originality-for-the-sake-of-others-because-no-one/) Tina\_24 > [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/) > [To be successful in football, you have to do things that put the team first. Everyone has to play their role, and if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kraft/to-be-successful-in-football-you-have-to-do-things-that-put-the-team/) [Robert Kraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kraft/) ## More by Michael Emerson > [It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [Call-and-response style, yes, exactly. So whenever different groups get together then there has to be this long period of negotiation. How will we worship?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/call-and-response-style-yes-exactly-so-whenever-different-groups-get/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I think people respond to villains because people in general are more villainous than heroic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-think-people-respond-to-villains-because-people-in-general-are-more/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [So you find a lot of these sixth Americans congregate in these interracial congregations. They hang out together at work, at school, wherever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/so-you-find-a-lot-of-these-sixth-americans-congregate-in-these/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [There are roles that are terrifying because they're large or you may feel that they're out of your line, but I'm never terrified once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-are-roles-that-are-terrifying-because-they-re-large-or-you-may/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [We do not have an American culture. We have a white American culture and a black American culture. So when those two groups try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/we-do-not-have-an-american-culture-we-have-a-white-american-culture/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I think of myself as a problem-solver. I want to go in and help the director and the writer to get the best they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-think-of-myself-as-a-problem-solver-i-want-to-go-in-and-help-the/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [But what we found in the study is that churches are ten times less diverse than the neighborhoods they sit in. So there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/but-what-we-found-in-the-study-is-that-churches-are-ten-times-less/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [And different traditions stress different - so then there's that. I talked to an African American who says before she goes into an interracial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/and-different-traditions-stress-different-so-then-there-s-that-i/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I think it's easier, I really do, because of not having that similar history, so that's why I think two-thirds of these mixed congregations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-think-it-s-easier-i-really-do-because-of-not-having-that-similar/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [There are three things, and it depends on the group that we're talking about, but there's history, there's culture, and then there's social networks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-are-three-things-and-it-depends-on-the-group-that-we-re-talking/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I ask the clergy why don't I see myself represented in leadership? And I'm told, and this happens quite a bit, "We don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-ask-the-clergy-why-don-t-i-see-myself-represented-in-leadership-and/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I was a magazine illustrator for many years before I became an actor, and I used to think, 'Oh, God, all those wasted years!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-was-a-magazine-illustrator-for-many-years-before-i-became-an-actor/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [We go where our family goes. We go where our friends are, and because our social networks are so segregated by race, we end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/we-go-where-our-family-goes-we-go-where-our-friends-are-and-because/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [This is this thing I harp on: Sometimes acting can be a self-defeating psychological enterprise if we feel like we're desperate, if we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/this-is-this-thing-i-harp-on-sometimes-acting-can-be-a-self-defeating/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) [Explore all 108 Michael Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) ## More Big things quotes > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [Little things make the difference. Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/little-things-make-the-difference-everyone-is-well-prepared-in-the/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [I would not have lasted a minute, literally a minute, on this Earth without God and angels by my side, because I was born.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-would-not-have-lasted-a-minute-literally-a-minute-on-this-earth/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It's silly to have as one's sole object in life just making money, accumulating wealth. I work because I enjoy what I'm doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/it-s-silly-to-have-as-one-s-sole-object-in-life-just-making-money/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-dale-bell/show-me-a-man-who-cannot-bother-to-do-little-things-and-i-ll-show-you/) Lawrence Dale Bell > [ITS FUNNY HOW YOU CAN MAKE SILENT HAPPINESS TO OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR NONE SENSE ACTIONS. BECAUSE SOMETHINGS IT MAYBE LITTLE AS WE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/its-funny-how-you-can-make-silent-happiness-to-other-people-out-of/) NO VOICE > [The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-little-things-i-can-obey-but-the-big-things-how-we-think-what-we/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [The little things are being early to meetings and lifts, stretching and warming up - doing all these things consistently, the walk-throughs that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-herbert/the-little-things-are-being-early-to-meetings-and-lifts-stretching/) [Justin Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-herbert/) > [I promise you this: at the end of your days, you will discover that the things you now perceive to be the big things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/i-promise-you-this-at-the-end-of-your-days-you-will-discover-that-the/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“He wanted me to understand two big things: First, that nobody, no group, is above others. Public servants are obliged to level with everybody,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/he-wanted-me-to-understand-two-big-things-first-that-nobody-no-group/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“When it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are-no-accidents-everything/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [President Barack Obama is a doer. And we in America will do big things with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hunt/president-barack-obama-is-a-doer-and-we-in-america-will-do-big-things/) [Jim Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hunt/) > [There are experts in little things but there are no experts in big things. There are experts in this fact and that fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/there-are-experts-in-little-things-but-there-are-no-experts-in-big/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) [Browse all 748 Big things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I really do think that every time you play a role well, you are in danger of being identified with that role until the next big thing comes along.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Emerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-play-a-role-well-you-are-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-play-a-role-well-you-are-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b2/michael-emerson-4622_big-things_i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-pl_1692427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I really do think that every time you play a role well, you are in danger of being identified with that role…” — Michael Emerson", "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": "Michael Emerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I really do think that every...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-play-a-role-well-you-are-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-really-do-think-that-every-time-you-play-a-role-well-you-are-in/#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 } } ] } ```