--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an actor I think youre always going to…" description: "\"As an actor I think youre always going to ride a fine line between doing something because you believe its the right thing to do, and guessing what the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg" --- # As an actor I think youre always going to ride a fine line… ![“As an actor I think youre always going to ride a fine line between doing something because you believe its the right thing to do, and guessing what the public wants to see. For politicians it must be the same, if not more so. You have to be quite vigilant with yourself and question why youre doing…” quote by Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg) > “As an actor I think youre always going to ride a fine line between doing something because you believe its the right thing to do, and guessing what the public wants to see. For politicians it must be the same, if not more so. You have to be quite vigilant with yourself and question why youre doing certain things as well as whats behind all that. Because otherwise, you can find yourself having made choices for the wrong reasons. And suddenly youre a completely different person than the one you thought you were a year earlier.” [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing personal convictions with public expectations requires vigilance to avoid acting for the wrong reasons. **In simple terms:** Stay true to your motives despite external pressure. Key Takeaway Regularly assess your motivations and align actions with values. Themes integrity self‑awareness public perception politics artistic expression Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - Campaign strategy - creative projects - career decisions - social activism - media appearances Key Concepts Ethics Identity Motivation Public relations Questions to Reflect On - What core values guide your decisions? - How do you differentiate genuine belief from audience appeasement? A Different Perspective Over‑self‑scrutiny can cause paralysis; sometimes compromise is necessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Fine line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-line/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [You know I don't really have faith in politicians - this is quite a sleazy business. But there is no law which says that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/you-know-i-don-t-really-have-faith-in-politicians-this-is-quite-a/) [Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/) > [As actors, you like to think about the luxury of having choices in your career, but for the most part you kind of take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marin-ireland/as-actors-you-like-to-think-about-the-luxury-of-having-choices-in/) [Marin Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marin-ireland/) > [Choices are our choices so I am not taking away anyone's personal choice, but we run into difficulty when we're having choices made for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/choices-are-our-choices-so-i-am-not-taking-away-anyone-s-personal/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [I feel, having the choices I had, I felt I had more control over my own medium than I did over photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shahn/i-feel-having-the-choices-i-had-i-felt-i-had-more-control-over-my-own/) [Ben Shahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shahn/) > [“There’s something about having your choices taken from you that is equally liberating and frightening. Handing over control to a person is a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-aurora/there-s-something-about-having-your-choices-taken-from-you-that-is/) [Belle Aurora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belle-aurora/) > [Financial independence is about having more choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/financial-independence-is-about-having-more-choices/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [We usually understand freedom as meaning that there are many choices - but does having more choices, or believing we do, actually make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luljeta-lleshanaku/we-usually-understand-freedom-as-meaning-that-there-are-many-choices/) [Luljeta Lleshanaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luljeta-lleshanaku/) > [I don't think of an actor. I think in the character, and then I search for the actor. Usually I'm thinking without names, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-don-t-think-of-an-actor-i-think-in-the-character-and-then-i-search/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [If the script's good, everything you need is in there. I just try and feel it, and do it honestly. I also don't learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-colman/if-the-script-s-good-everything-you-need-is-in-there-i-just-try-and-2/) [Olivia Colman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-colman/) > [I had a certain career as an actor that I think was quite personal as well, and had a lot of integrity, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-had-a-certain-career-as-an-actor-that-i-think-was-quite-personal-as/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Christina Ricci is amazing, the most professional actor I think I've ever met. You can be chatting with her and when they call action,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kudrow/christina-ricci-is-amazing-the-most-professional-actor-i-think-i-ve/) [Lisa Kudrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kudrow/) > [As an actor, you always think your last job is your last job, and you're always doubting yourself and worried that people will see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsden/as-an-actor-you-always-think-your-last-job-is-your-last-job-and-you/) [James Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsden/) > [All directors are different. Certainly, the directors that I respond to the most are guys that figure it out by doing it, not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitt/all-directors-are-different-certainly-the-directors-that-i-respond-to/) [Michael Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pitt/) > [As an actor, you think to yourself, 'I want to do good work,' but you also want the work that you do to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/as-an-actor-you-think-to-yourself-i-want-to-do-good-work-but-you-also/) [Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/) > [I think Ed Harris is a conscious screen actor, so I think it was strong, it was like he put everything together somehow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/i-think-ed-harris-is-a-conscious-screen-actor-so-i-think-it-was/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) ## More by Michael Sheen > [I don't want to do something that I've done before; I can't see the point of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-don-t-want-to-do-something-that-i-ve-done-before-i-can-t-see-the/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [A lot of the times when I've auditioned for parts in America, the answer is, 'Sorry, we need a bigger name.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/a-lot-of-the-times-when-i-ve-auditioned-for-parts-in-america-the/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [Everyone deserves compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/everyone-deserves-compassion/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [I'm always aware that there are, broadly speaking, two different ways to act: there is acting, and then there's being, and I'm always more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-m-always-aware-that-there-are-broadly-speaking-two-different-ways/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [I always say if I'm not good at something it's just because I've not had time to focus on it... it's just uncrafted, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-always-say-if-i-m-not-good-at-something-it-s-just-because-i-ve-not/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [The first thing, when I read the script, is that I need to care about what happens and feel compelled by the story and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/the-first-thing-when-i-read-the-script-is-that-i-need-to-care-about/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [I think the story of 'Alice in Wonderland' in a way is a reminder that life is frightening, it can shift on you at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-think-the-story-of-alice-in-wonderland-in-a-way-is-a-reminder-that/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [For me, what makes life enjoyable is having a shared culture and shared references.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/for-me-what-makes-life-enjoyable-is-having-a-shared-culture-and/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [I perceive and relate to the world through where I grew up; that's part of me. It's what I judge everything else against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-perceive-and-relate-to-the-world-through-where-i-grew-up-that-s/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [I'm not a Tony Blair impersonator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-m-not-a-tony-blair-impersonator/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [You don't want to get into doing the same thing, over and over again. I know I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/you-don-t-want-to-get-into-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again-i/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [We see death constantly on film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/we-see-death-constantly-on-film/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [Getting older is a struggle. I always feel that just under the surface of acceptance and enjoyment of the ageing process is a terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/getting-older-is-a-struggle-i-always-feel-that-just-under-the-surface/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [Wherever you come from, you carry the place with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/wherever-you-come-from-you-carry-the-place-with-you/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [I live a very Kenneth Williams-like existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-live-a-very-kenneth-williams-like-existence/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) [Explore all 116 Michael Sheen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) ## 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": "As an actor I think youre always going to ride a fine line between doing something because you believe its the right thing to do, and guessing what the public wants to see. For politicians it must be the same, if not more so. You have to be quite vigilant with yourself and question why youre doing certain things as well as whats behind all that. Because otherwise, you can find yourself having made choices for the wrong reasons. And suddenly youre a completely different person than the one you thought you were a year earlier.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Sheen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-to-ride-a-fine-line-between/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-to-ride-a-fine-line-between/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/michael-sheen-4062_actor_as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-t_2934960.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As an actor I think youre always going to ride a fine line between doing something because you believe its…” — Michael Sheen", "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 Sheen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As an actor I think youre...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-to-ride-a-fine-line-between/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/as-an-actor-i-think-youre-always-going-to-ride-a-fine-line-between/#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 } } ] } ```