--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As an actor, I'm more interested in…" description: "\"As an actor, I'm more interested in characters the longer I have lived with them.\" — Paul Sparks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg" --- # As an actor, I'm more interested in characters the longer… ![“As an actor, I'm more interested in characters the longer I have lived with them.” quote by Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg) > “As an actor, I'm more interested in characters the longer I have lived with them.” [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors deepen their craft by inhabiting characters over long periods, gaining richer insight and authenticity. **In simple terms:** Long‑term character work deepens acting. Key Takeaway Invest time to fully explore roles. Themes acting character development longevity Mood thoughtful inspired Type creative advice When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - film series - character arcs - role research Key Concepts method acting psychology of performance Questions to Reflect On - How does time with a character enhance performance? - What are the risks of over‑identification? A Different Perspective Prolonged focus may limit variety of roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [“The longer he lived, the more Tyrion realized that nothing was simple and little was true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-longer-he-lived-the-more-tyrion-realized-that-nothing-was-simple/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [The longer we lived with it the more we wanted something less about process and more about life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-longer-we-lived-with-it-the-more-we-wanted-something-less-about/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [There's something extremely rewarding about following characters that you like and knowing that there's as many hours of viewing as you have the appetite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bamber/there-s-something-extremely-rewarding-about-following-characters-that/) [Jamie Bamber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bamber/) > [Nothing (at least that can be done by humans) immortalizes anyone. The Fault in Our Stars will hopefully have a long and wonderful life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-at-least-that-can-be-done-by-humans-immortalizes-anyone-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“As for Thomas, the longer he lived, the less he cared for the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/as-for-thomas-the-longer-he-lived-the-less-he-cared-for-the-world/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm interested in the pursuit of storytelling and character and challenging myself and expanding my craft. That's not something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-interested-in-the-pursuit-of-storytelling-and/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [As an actor, I'm always interested in my characters getting into trouble, because conflict is, you know, the great determiner of someone's mettle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wiseman/as-an-actor-i-m-always-interested-in-my-characters-getting-into/) [Mary Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wiseman/) > [If I have a look around at the moment I feel great relief because finally others are entering the limelight. Men like Robert Pattinson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/if-i-have-a-look-around-at-the-moment-i-feel-great-relief-because/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) > [The most starstruck I've been is when I met Sol Campbell when he was a Tottenham Hotspur player. I don't get starstruck by actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-lloyd-pack/the-most-starstruck-i-ve-been-is-when-i-met-sol-campbell-when-he-was/) [Roger Lloyd-Pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-lloyd-pack/) > [My goal was always to be recognized as a good actor but no one was interested in that, simply because society just wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/my-goal-was-always-to-be-recognized-as-a-good-actor-but-no-one-was/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) > [I can't really define myself as a dramatist or as an actor or as someone who is interested in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lepage/i-can-t-really-define-myself-as-a-dramatist-or-as-an-actor-or-as/) [Robert Lepage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lepage/) > [Uta Hagen is our greatest living actor; she is, moreover, interested and mystified by the presence of talent and its workings; her third gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-weaver/uta-hagen-is-our-greatest-living-actor-she-is-moreover-interested-and/) Fritz Weaver > [But for me, personally, I didn't have any ambitions to become an actor. I'm interested in getting behind the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/but-for-me-personally-i-didn-t-have-any-ambitions-to-become-an-actor/) [Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/) > [As an actor I'm always interested in dialogue, the way the characters speak to each other. I also enjoy a bit of humor, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-boatman/as-an-actor-i-m-always-interested-in-dialogue-the-way-the-characters/) [Michael Boatman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-boatman/) > [The longer I lived, the longer it would be until I saw him alive again, until I could taste his new lips and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsie-shakespeare/the-longer-i-lived-the-longer-it-would-be-until-i-saw-him-alive-again/) [Chelsie Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsie-shakespeare/) ## More by Paul Sparks > [I don't know everybody's political opinions, but I think the majority of people in the arts are pretty leftist, and we're disappointed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-don-t-know-everybody-s-political-opinions-but-i-think-the-majority/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I have a somewhat reclusive quality myself, and actually what's great about New York is that it pushes you to be social because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-have-a-somewhat-reclusive-quality-myself-and-actually-what-s-great/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I think of myself as more additive than initially creative; I don't come up with the stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-think-of-myself-as-more-additive-than-initially-creative-i-don-t/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I sort of latch onto roles that have something to fight against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-sort-of-latch-onto-roles-that-have-something-to-fight-against/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [No, I'm not angling for huge fame. My career has been a very slow, arduous climb to the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/no-i-m-not-angling-for-huge-fame-my-career-has-been-a-very-slow/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I've always been of the mindset that you will be defined by the things you say 'no' to because it's so easy to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-ve-always-been-of-the-mindset-that-you-will-be-defined-by-the/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [As far as the destiny of the character, I just play them until they're gone. I try not to get too involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/as-far-as-the-destiny-of-the-character-i-just-play-them-until-they-re/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [The characters I've played that I like the most are people that have a lot of obstacles. They have a lot of bad things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/the-characters-i-ve-played-that-i-like-the-most-are-people-that-have/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [Death scenes are hard. Sex scenes are hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/death-scenes-are-hard-sex-scenes-are-hard/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I just came home one day and, in a midlife-crisis sort of way, I told my wife, 'I'm going to run a marathon,' not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-just-came-home-one-day-and-in-a-midlife-crisis-sort-of-way-i-told/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I think that's kind of nice that there's this kind of inherent respect between runners who do a marathon. People respect somebody who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-think-that-s-kind-of-nice-that-there-s-this-kind-of-inherent/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [A lot of times, sets are not such fun places to be, and especially television sets, because everybody works so hard, and everybody's kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/a-lot-of-times-sets-are-not-such-fun-places-to-be-and-especially/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [I'm pretty fortunate that my beard - if I shave it off, I look like a completely different person. My face, it transforms. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-m-pretty-fortunate-that-my-beard-if-i-shave-it-off-i-look-like-a/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [If I was able to be omniscient and look at my career objectively, I'd be very happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/if-i-was-able-to-be-omniscient-and-look-at-my-career-objectively-i-d/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [When I got out of school, I just started doing plays of the off-off-Broadway route, and for many years, that's what I did, slowly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/when-i-got-out-of-school-i-just-started-doing-plays-of-the-off-off/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) [Explore all 22 Paul Sparks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) ## 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'm more interested in characters the longer I have lived with them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Sparks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-characters-the-longer-i-have-lived/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-characters-the-longer-i-have-lived/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/paul-sparks-26224_actor_as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-chara_2710245.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As an actor, I'm more interested in characters the longer I have lived with them.” — Paul Sparks", "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 Sparks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As an actor, I'm more interested...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-characters-the-longer-i-have-lived/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/as-an-actor-i-m-more-interested-in-characters-the-longer-i-have-lived/#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 } } ] } ```