--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a professional and I'll do anything…" description: "\"I'm a professional and I'll do anything - a poetry reading, television, cinema, anything that allows me to act.\" — Peter O'Toole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg" --- # I'm a professional and I'll do anything - a poetry… ![“I'm a professional and I'll do anything - a poetry reading, television, cinema, anything that allows me to act.” quote by Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg) > “I'm a professional and I'll do anything - a poetry reading, television, cinema, anything that allows me to act.” [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) ## 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 embraces a versatile, work‑first mindset, valuing any opportunity to perform over specific artistic prestige. **In simple terms:** Versatile dedication to performance. Key Takeaway Openness to any acting platform expands growth. Themes versatility work ethic artistic humility career adaptability Mood determined enthusiastic Type statement career philosophy When to use this quote - auditioning for diverse roles - accepting unexpected gigs - balancing multiple mediums Key Concepts performance media professionalism Practical Applications - expanding acting portfolio - building industry reputation Questions to Reflect On - How does flexibility affect artistic development? - What trade‑offs arise from a 'do‑anything' approach? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-reading/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [If you're a professional, you'll make it work. 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I know this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-can-t-help-moving-my-face-reacting-when-i-watch-a-movie-because-i-m/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I know why I make films -cinema is a mode of expression that allows you to express all the nuances of a thing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-breillat/i-know-why-i-make-films-cinema-is-a-mode-of-expression-that-allows/) [Catherine Breillat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-breillat/) > [French cinema allows women to look... a certain way and be talented at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/french-cinema-allows-women-to-look-a-certain-way-and-be-talented-at/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [I understand that there are two kinds of films, there is the kind of cinema which allows you the opportunity to be an actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameera-reddy/i-understand-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-films-there-is-the-kind-of/) [Sameera Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameera-reddy/) > [“Summer in the trees! “It is time to strangle several bad poets.” / The yellow hobbyhorse rocks to and fro, and from the chimney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/summer-in-the-trees-it-is-time-to-strangle-several-bad-poets-the/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/poetry-is-ordinary-language-raised-to-the-nth-power/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [I find great consolation in having a lot of poetry books around. I believe that writing poetry and reading it are deeply intertwined. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-find-great-consolation-in-having-a-lot-of-poetry-books-around-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“It was a scary thought. A man could be surrounded by poetry reading and not know it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/it-was-a-scary-thought-a-man-could-be-surrounded-by-poetry-reading/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [Reading poetry and reading the great works of the canon that we were reading in the '60s and the '70s and '80s was mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/reading-poetry-and-reading-the-great-works-of-the-canon-that-we-were/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I just think that the world of workshops - I've written a poem that is a parody of workshop talk, I've written a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-just-think-that-the-world-of-workshops-i-ve-written-a-poem-that-is/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [If I could take all my parts with me when I go somewhere / and not have to say to one of them, ‘No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-parker/if-i-could-take-all-my-parts-with-me-when-i-go-somewhere-and-not-have/) Pat Parker > [Writing poetry and reading books causes brain damage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/writing-poetry-and-reading-books-causes-brain-damage/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [I do believe that one's writing life needs to be kept separate from Po-Biz. Personally, I deal with this by not attending too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/i-do-believe-that-one-s-writing-life-needs-to-be-kept-separate-from/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) ## More by Peter O'Toole > [Actors have to stay optimistic. The moment we start thinking otherwise, we're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/actors-have-to-stay-optimistic-the-moment-we-start-thinking-otherwise/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I'm not working-class: I come from the criminal classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-not-working-class-i-come-from-the-criminal-classes/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [It grieves us to produce work that is not perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/it-grieves-us-to-produce-work-that-is-not-perfect/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I love working with the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-love-working-with-the-young/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I have no intention of uttering my last words on the stage. Room service and a couple of depraved young women will do me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-have-no-intention-of-uttering-my-last-words-on-the-stage-room/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I saw a man killed in front of my eyes just before my eighth birthday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-saw-a-man-killed-in-front-of-my-eyes-just-before-my-eighth-birthday/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [Everyone praises Sachin Tendulkar. He may be a genius in his own right but in my book, Rahul Dravid is the artist. 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And that way lies failure." "Must do it...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/it-was-a-mistake-and-i-made-the-mistake-because-i-was-conservative/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I woke up one morning to find I was famous. I bought a white Rolls-Royce and drove down Sunset Boulevard, wearing dark specs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-woke-up-one-morning-to-find-i-was-famous-i-bought-a-white-rolls/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I found him perhaps the least terrifying man I've ever met in the theater—because at first glance I could see through him and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-found-him-perhaps-the-least-terrifying-man-i-ve-ever-met-in-the/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [For me, life has either been a wake or a wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/for-me-life-has-either-been-a-wake-or-a-wedding/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) [Explore all 138 Peter O'Toole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) ## 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'm a professional and I'll do anything - a poetry reading, television, cinema, anything that allows me to act.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter O'Toole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything-a-poetry-reading-television/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything-a-poetry-reading-television/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fab/peter-o-toole-3173_actor_i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything_51407.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm a professional and I'll do anything - a poetry reading, television, cinema, anything that allows me to…” — Peter O'Toole", "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": "Peter O'Toole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm a professional and I'll do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything-a-poetry-reading-television/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-a-professional-and-i-ll-do-anything-a-poetry-reading-television/#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 } } ] } ```