--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug." description: "\"I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug.\" — Nelsan Ellis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg" --- # I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug. ![“I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug.” quote by Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg) > “I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug.” [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Versatility allows one to embody contrasting roles. **In simple terms:** Versatility enables contrast. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse skills. Themes versatility identity performance Mood creative confident Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - theatre - film - improvisation Key Concepts role‑playing adaptability Questions to Reflect On - How do you develop contrasting abilities? - What role challenges you most? A Different Perspective Typecasting can limit opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctor Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor-play-4181463/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-doctor-426084/) [Play Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-thug-4181464/) [Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thug/) ## Related quotes > [I'm black, so I should be able to play a 'thug?' No. Hello. Open your mind. I'm a person that believes in breaking barriers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-bunbury/i-m-black-so-i-should-be-able-to-play-a-thug-no-hello-open-your-mind/) [Kylie Bunbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-bunbury/) > [Being asked to play 'The Doctor' is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/being-asked-to-play-the-doctor-is-an-amazing-privilege-like-the/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I didn't want to play a lawyer. I didn't want to play a doctor. I didn't want to play a single dad. I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petersen/i-didn-t-want-to-play-a-lawyer-i-didn-t-want-to-play-a-doctor-i-didn/) [William Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petersen/) > [I play doctor for 5 minutes flat, before I cut my heart open and let the air out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slipknot/i-play-doctor-for-5-minutes-flat-before-i-cut-my-heart-open-and-let/) [Slipknot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slipknot/) > [Why can't a seven-foot guy play a doctor? Why can't I be a teacher? Why can't I be a football coach? Why can't I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grizz-chapman/why-can-t-a-seven-foot-guy-play-a-doctor-why-can-t-i-be-a-teacher-why/) [Grizz Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grizz-chapman/) > [If you play a doctor on TV, you probably shouldn't try performing surgery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-brosnahan/if-you-play-a-doctor-on-tv-you-probably-shouldn-t-try-performing/) [Rachel Brosnahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-brosnahan/) > [I love Doctor Who and I remember the first one, which was wonderful in its low-tech quality. I also loved the theme song, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-love-doctor-who-and-i-remember-the-first-one-which-was-wonderful-in/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [When you play a doctor, you have to look like you can do it but you don't actually go and do it. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-anne-moss/when-you-play-a-doctor-you-have-to-look-like-you-can-do-it-but-you/) [Carrie-Anne Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-anne-moss/) > [“Next time we meet again, let’s play doctor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheehan-miles/next-time-we-meet-again-let-s-play-doctor/) [Charles Sheehan-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheehan-miles/) > [You know what, I've always been a smarty-pants, and the only thing that goes wrong now is that people know that I play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/you-know-what-i-ve-always-been-a-smarty-pants-and-the-only-thing-that/) [Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/) > [We know nothing of the principle of health, the positive of which pathology is the negative, except from observation and experience. And nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/we-know-nothing-of-the-principle-of-health-the-positive-of-which/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [We ought to observe that practice which is the hardest of all-especially for young physicians-we ought to throw in no medicine at all-to abstain-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-of-roanoke/we-ought-to-observe-that-practice-which-is-the-hardest-of-all/) [John Randolph of Roanoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph-of-roanoke/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) ## More by Nelsan Ellis > [It's hard to get an education when teachers spend 70 percent of their time trying to discipline students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/it-s-hard-to-get-an-education-when-teachers-spend-70-percent-of-their/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [Whenever you have a character in which one of his defining qualities is his sexuality, it's always challenging, because you don't want to bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/whenever-you-have-a-character-in-which-one-of-his-defining-qualities/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [When I moved to Chicago, I was coming from a school that didn't have any arts in Alabama. I essentially came from a town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/when-i-moved-to-chicago-i-was-coming-from-a-school-that-didn-t-have/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [I'm not an emotional person; I keep it in, and I wouldn't know how to get it out if it weren't for acting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-m-not-an-emotional-person-i-keep-it-in-and-i-wouldn-t-know-how-to/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [At some point in my life, I wanted to be in a vampire movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/at-some-point-in-my-life-i-wanted-to-be-in-a-vampire-movie/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [I was quiet, and I was artistic. I liked writing poetry, and that was very strange, so I was bullied a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-was-quiet-and-i-was-artistic-i-liked-writing-poetry-and-that-was/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [When you're in a position that you can comfortably give, you need to pay it forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/when-you-re-in-a-position-that-you-can-comfortably-give-you-need-to/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [I am a vampire/werewolf and sci-fi fanatic. God is so good! I get to play in a series that has all that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-am-a-vampire-werewolf-and-sci-fi-fanatic-god-is-so-good-i-get-to/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [There were not many black students at Juilliard, unfortunately. So when you get there, you become very good friends, in particular, with the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/there-were-not-many-black-students-at-juilliard-unfortunately-so-when/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [Although I can be a leading man, you wouldn't look at me and go, 'He's a leading man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/although-i-can-be-a-leading-man-you-wouldn-t-look-at-me-and-go-he-s-a/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [My mom's side, they're southern Baptist Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/my-mom-s-side-they-re-southern-baptist-christian/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [I had no intention of being an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-had-no-intention-of-being-an-actor/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [You go back to my town, it's like going back to the 1960s... just not a great place to grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/you-go-back-to-my-town-it-s-like-going-back-to-the-1960s-just-not-a/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [Being different makes you beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/being-different-makes-you-beautiful/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [The sci-fi fans in America... they are die-hard. They will follow you to the ends of the Earth. Once they attach themselves to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/the-sci-fi-fans-in-america-they-are-die-hard-they-will-follow-you-to/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) [Explore all 52 Nelsan Ellis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) ## More Doctor quotes > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“As a special branch of general philosophy, pathogenesis had never been explored. In my opinion it had never been approached in a strictly scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/as-a-special-branch-of-general-philosophy-pathogenesis-had-never-been/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [A creative space is an important thing. There are so many studios that feel like doctor's offices in Nashville. I couldn't write there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/a-creative-space-is-an-important-thing-there-are-so-many-studios-that/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [We ought to observe that practice which is the hardest of all-especially for young physicians-we ought to throw in no medicine at all-to abstain-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-of-roanoke/we-ought-to-observe-that-practice-which-is-the-hardest-of-all/) [John Randolph of Roanoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph-of-roanoke/) > [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/) [Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/) > [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Thankfully, I found a doctor at Presbyterian Hospital in New York, Scott Hammer, who diagnosed my chronic fatigue as the Epstein-Barr virus, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-halpern/thankfully-i-found-a-doctor-at-presbyterian-hospital-in-new-york/) [Tucker Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-halpern/) > [My parents are so supportive of whatever we want to do and completely nurtured that, and they're so proud of that as well. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-john-kamen/my-parents-are-so-supportive-of-whatever-we-want-to-do-and-completely/) [Hannah John-Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-john-kamen/) > [Before we can wave the handkerchief, we have to have a cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/before-we-can-wave-the-handkerchief-we-have-to-have-a-cold/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [Tuberculosis, starvation, fatigue, and there are many who have no desire to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/tuberculosis-starvation-fatigue-and-there-are-many-who-have-no-desire/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) [Browse all 3,922 Doctor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nelsan Ellis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thug/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doctor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thug/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/nelsan-ellis-12920_doctor_i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thu_2909332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can play a doctor, and I can play a thug.” — Nelsan Ellis", "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": "Nelsan Ellis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can play a doctor, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thug/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-can-play-a-doctor-and-i-can-play-a-thug/#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 } } ] } ```