--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an actor sometimes we sit and wait for…" description: "\"As an actor sometimes we sit and wait for projects to be handed to us and we don't really work. We expect our agents and managers to know who we are an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg" --- # As an actor sometimes we sit and wait for projects to be… ![“As an actor sometimes we sit and wait for projects to be handed to us and we don't really work. We expect our agents and managers to know who we are and to see who we are and offer us a part or send us out and submit us.” quote by Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg) > “As an actor sometimes we sit and wait for projects to be handed to us and we don't really work. We expect our agents and managers to know who we are and to see who we are and offer us a part or send us out and submit us.” [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors often wait pass opportunities instead of proactively seeking work, relying on representation to find roles. **In simple terms:** Waiting for work limits success. Key Takeaway Take initiative, create your own opportunities. Themes career proactivity networking Mood frustrated motivated Type advice motivational When to use this quote - auditions - self‑produced projects - network events - skill development Key Concepts self‑management industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you market yourself without an agent? - What proactive steps can you take today? A Different Perspective Relying solely on agents can lead to missed chances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Much of the time, as an actor, you sit around waiting. Most of your life and career, you're waiting for your agent or your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-mcdermott/much-of-the-time-as-an-actor-you-sit-around-waiting-most-of-your-life/) [Dylan McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-mcdermott/) > [I'm happy that I have agents and managers that believe in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-helfer/i-m-happy-that-i-have-agents-and-managers-that-believe-in-me/) [Tricia Helfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-helfer/) > [I've learned you don't always listen to your agents and managers. Sometimes they know nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-ve-learned-you-don-t-always-listen-to-your-agents-and-managers/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [Anytime that I have an impulse to pull out my phone and take a picture, especially of a landscape or something, if the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hoechlin/anytime-that-i-have-an-impulse-to-pull-out-my-phone-and-take-a/) [Tyler Hoechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hoechlin/) > [“Life is too short to sit around and wait.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin/life-is-too-short-to-sit-around-and-wait/) Corbin > [It could be a little bit sad as a young girl to sit there and wait in front of the telephone that would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-karina/it-could-be-a-little-bit-sad-as-a-young-girl-to-sit-there-and-wait-in/) [Anna Karina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-karina/) > [You can't sit around and wait for somebody to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/you-can-t-sit-around-and-wait-for-somebody-to-say-who-you-are-you/) [Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/) > [Sometimes it is better to begin the journey, to get under way, then it is to sit back and wait until such time that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-engler/sometimes-it-is-better-to-begin-the-journey-to-get-under-way-then-it/) [John Engler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-engler/) > [I don't think you should sit around and wait for people to give you an opportunity to express yourself or do your work, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-think-you-should-sit-around-and-wait-for-people-to-give-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [“I walk out of the dark and into the dark and sit down and wait.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-walk-out-of-the-dark-and-into-the-dark-and-sit-down-and-wait/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“So forget this cruel world Where I belong I'll just sit and wait And sing my song. And if one day you should see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-drake/so-forget-this-cruel-world-where-i-belong-i-ll-just-sit-and-wait-and/) [Nick Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-drake/) > [So much in L.A. is waiting. It's so irritating. That's what's good about stand-up. You can go away, and you don't have to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/so-much-in-l-a-is-waiting-it-s-so-irritating-that-s-what-s-good-about/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [“... how could any young man merely sit back and wait for divine justice to take its course? It was asking the impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/how-could-any-young-man-merely-sit-back-and-wait-for-divine-justice/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“The greatest art is to sit, and wait, and let it come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-art-is-to-sit-and-wait-and-let-it-come/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Navid Negahban > [I speak Farsi, German, Dari, and I understand Turkish, but I haven't used it since 1985, so I'm a bit rusty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-speak-farsi-german-dari-and-i-understand-turkish-but-i-haven-t-used/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I like 'Shameless.' The first season I just watched it straight through. I literally didn't get up. I just had to finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-like-shameless-the-first-season-i-just-watched-it-straight-through/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [As actors, if we are truthful to ourselves and we know what we can do and what we cannot do and just go after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/as-actors-if-we-are-truthful-to-ourselves-and-we-know-what-we-can-do/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I left Iran back in 1985. I lived in Turkey for a while, then I went to Germany. I joined a theater company there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-left-iran-back-in-1985-i-lived-in-turkey-for-a-while-then-i-went-to/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I think we're always intrigued by things we're not familiar with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-think-we-re-always-intrigued-by-things-we-re-not-familiar-with/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [Before 9/11, I was playing a wide range of characters. I would play a lover, a cop, a father. As long as I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/before-9-11-i-was-playing-a-wide-range-of-characters-i-would-play-a/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I grew up during the Revolution of Iran and the war between Iran and Iraq. The things that I saw. The impact. How it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-grew-up-during-the-revolution-of-iran-and-the-war-between-iran-and/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [When I was I kid, there were so many different things that I wanted to be. As an actor, I get a chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/when-i-was-i-kid-there-were-so-many-different-things-that-i-wanted-to/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I like 'Breaking Bad' and 'Game of Thrones.' I like that era. I like that fantasy world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-like-breaking-bad-and-game-of-thrones-i-like-that-era-i-like-that/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I grew up on Harold Lloyd, Charles Chaplin, and Buster Keaton, and those were the ones who inspired me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-grew-up-on-harold-lloyd-charles-chaplin-and-buster-keaton-and-those/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [I lived with a German family. I learned about schnitzel from Ritta Seiffer. When she cooked she'd get the oil really hot so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/i-lived-with-a-german-family-i-learned-about-schnitzel-from-ritta/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) > [You just need to put yourself in someone else's shoes and then see how they feel and then you will understand why they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/you-just-need-to-put-yourself-in-someone-else-s-shoes-and-then-see/) [Navid Negahban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) [Explore all 13 Navid Negahban quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/) ## 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 sometimes we sit and wait for projects to be handed to us and we don't really work. We expect our agents and managers to know who we are and to see who we are and offer us a part or send us out and submit us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Navid Negahban" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-for-projects-to-be-handed-to-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-for-projects-to-be-handed-to-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/navid-negahban-36417_actors_as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-fo_1141896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As an actor sometimes we sit and wait for projects to be handed to us and we don't really work. We expect…” — Navid Negahban", "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": "Navid Negahban", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navid-negahban/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As an actor sometimes we sit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-for-projects-to-be-handed-to-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navid-negahban/as-an-actor-sometimes-we-sit-and-wait-for-projects-to-be-handed-to-us/#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 } } ] } ```