--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always been a sign language…" description: "\"I've always been a sign language interpreter in the court system, and running out to do an audition so I could do one line in a movie or two lines in a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg" --- # I've always been a sign language interpreter in the court… ![“I've always been a sign language interpreter in the court system, and running out to do an audition so I could do one line in a movie or two lines in a TV show, or get ready to do full-length play like 'Of Mice and Men' at Deaf West Theatre.” quote by Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg) > “I've always been a sign language interpreter in the court system, and running out to do an audition so I could do one line in a movie or two lines in a TV show, or get ready to do full-length play like 'Of Mice and Men' at Deaf West Theatre.” [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a career path from court interpreting to pursuing acting roles, highlighting ambition and the desire to expand artistic opportunities. **In simple terms:** From interpreter to actor, seeking broader creative work. Key Takeaway Pursue new creative challenges beyond current role. Themes career ambition artistic growth representation diversity Mood determined hopeful Type career artistic When to use this quote - auditions - theatre productions - film roles - TV appearances Key Concepts disability advocacy performing arts career transition Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to shift career focus? - How can you manage financial stability while pursuing acting? A Different Perspective Balancing stable work with uncertain artistic pursuits can be tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audition/) [Audition Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audition-line-2341249/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Deaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf/) [Deaf West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf-west-2341252/) [Interpreter Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpreter-court-2341251/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mice And Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mice-and-men/) [Running Audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-audition-2341250/) [Sign language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sign-language/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I got in the audition line called 'Making the Band' because I wanted to be in a band. If I didn't, I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-got-in-the-audition-line-called-making-the-band-because-i-wanted-to/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [Before working with Deaf West, I had never met a deaf person, and now I can't imagine life without ASL.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arden/before-working-with-deaf-west-i-had-never-met-a-deaf-person-and-now-i/) [Michael Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arden/) > [In the evening, since I have a lot of friends in theater, we might take in a Deaf West production in North Hollywood, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dekay/in-the-evening-since-i-have-a-lot-of-friends-in-theater-we-might-take/) [Tim DeKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dekay/) > [My mother, when I was doing stage acting in Chicago, would come to see any show that I was in. There was no access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/my-mother-when-i-was-doing-stage-acting-in-chicago-would-come-to-see/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [American Sign Language is my native tongue. That's the first thing that I learned to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/american-sign-language-is-my-native-tongue-that-s-the-first-thing/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [There's so much great imagery in sign language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/there-s-so-much-great-imagery-in-sign-language/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [“In April 2012, The New York Times published a heart-wrenching essay by Claire Needell Hollander, a middle school English teacher in the New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sokolove/in-april-2012-the-new-york-times-published-a-heart-wrenching-essay-by/) [Michael Sokolove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sokolove/) > [I've always tried out my material on my dogs first. Years ago, when my red setter chewed up the manuscript of 'Of Mice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-ve-always-tried-out-my-material-on-my-dogs-first-years-ago-when-my/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [ “An oxymoronic combination of the tough and tender, \[Of Mice and Men\] will appeal to sentimental cynics, cynical sentimentalists...Readers less easily thrown off their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/time-life-books/an-oxymoronic-combination-of-the-tough-and-tender-of-mice-and-men/) [Time-Life Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/time-life-books/) > [Other people have often had more faith in me than I had in myself - I never thought I could pull off Roberta Muldoon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/other-people-have-often-had-more-faith-in-me-than-i-had-in-myself-i/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [In 'Of Mice And Men' I play a straight dramatic role and I'm the only female in the play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-heatherton/in-of-mice-and-men-i-play-a-straight-dramatic-role-and-i-m-the-only/) [Joey Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-heatherton/) > [I loved working on Of Mice and Men. It was a wonderful group of people. John Malkovich is to me one of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-loved-working-on-of-mice-and-men-it-was-a-wonderful-group-of-people/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/the-best-laid-plans-of-mice-and-men-often-go-awry/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [OF MICE AND MEN! They r so hot!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn/of-mice-and-men-they-r-so-hot/) [Kaitlyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn/) > [“Is it dangerous to plan too much? Yes, we all need to plan, to have a plan, but life goes on regardless of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-w-p-garland/is-it-dangerous-to-plan-too-much-yes-we-all-need-to-plan-to-have-a/) [Leslie W.P. Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-w-p-garland/) ## More by Paul Raci > [I started professionally acting in '80.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-started-professionally-acting-in-80/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [American Sign Language is my native tongue. That's the first thing that I learned to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/american-sign-language-is-my-native-tongue-that-s-the-first-thing/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [I moved out here when I was 40 and guess what, they are not looking for 40-year-olds in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-moved-out-here-when-i-was-40-and-guess-what-they-are-not-looking/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [You're going to see more inclusion in casting in this town, in Hollywood. You're going to see a lot more differently abled people, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/you-re-going-to-see-more-inclusion-in-casting-in-this-town-in/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [You throw all these obstacles in front of people, especially a lot of the deaf people that I've known in my life, you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/you-throw-all-these-obstacles-in-front-of-people-especially-a-lot-of/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [What I'm going to make sure happens, if I have anything to say about it, now that people are listening - we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/what-i-m-going-to-make-sure-happens-if-i-have-anything-to-say-about/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [We all know in the deaf community, there are deaf actors, men and women who are highly, highly skilled, highly intuitive, highly intelligent, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/we-all-know-in-the-deaf-community-there-are-deaf-actors-men-and-women/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [I had so many deaf uncles that instilled in me this feeling of unconditional love, that's how I was brought up in that community.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-had-so-many-deaf-uncles-that-instilled-in-me-this-feeling-of/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [John Williams was a Vietnam veteran and I'm a Vietnam veteran, I did two tours in Vietnam. So knowing that, that he wrote a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/john-williams-was-a-vietnam-veteran-and-i-m-a-vietnam-veteran-i-did/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [Everybody in Los Angeles is an actor, or they think they are, or they want to be. They're looking for that shot. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/everybody-in-los-angeles-is-an-actor-or-they-think-they-are-or-they/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [My father was deafened at the age of six months from spinal meningitis, so he never knew sound at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/my-father-was-deafened-at-the-age-of-six-months-from-spinal/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [This is why every actor wants to get a script - they want to see what the arc of the character is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/this-is-why-every-actor-wants-to-get-a-script-they-want-to-see-what/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [The Deaf population is not a monolith. It's so layered, so complicated. It's happy, it's sad, it's angry. The gamut of human emotion, amplified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/the-deaf-population-is-not-a-monolith-it-s-so-layered-so-complicated/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [There are too many talented deaf men and women out there who are actors, who really have chops, who really know what they're doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/there-are-too-many-talented-deaf-men-and-women-out-there-who-are/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) > [I'm so blessed that the garden I'm able to pull from, the actor's garden, is as rich as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-m-so-blessed-that-the-garden-i-m-able-to-pull-from-the-actor-s/) [Paul Raci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) [Explore all 75 Paul Raci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/) ## 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": "I've always been a sign language interpreter in the court system, and running out to do an audition so I could do one line in a movie or two lines in a TV show, or get ready to do full-length play like 'Of Mice and Men' at Deaf West Theatre.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Raci" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpreter-in-the-court-system-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpreter-in-the-court-system-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/paul-raci-9038_actor_i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpr_2649839.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've always been a sign language interpreter in the court system, and running out to do an audition so I…” — Paul Raci", "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": "Paul Raci", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raci/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've always been a sign language...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpreter-in-the-court-system-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raci/i-ve-always-been-a-sign-language-interpreter-in-the-court-system-and/#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 } } ] } ```