--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acting on television is like being asked…" description: "\"Acting on television is like being asked by the captain to entertain the passengers while the ship goes down.\" — Peter Ustinov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/peter-ustinov-4612_acting_acting-on-television-is-like-being-asked_18457.jpg" --- # Acting on television is like being asked by the captain to… ![“Acting on television is like being asked by the captain to entertain the passengers while the ship goes down.” quote by Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/peter-ustinov-4612_acting_acting-on-television-is-like-being-asked_18457.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/peter-ustinov-4612_acting_acting-on-television-is-like-being-asked_18457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/peter-ustinov-4612_acting_acting-on-television-is-like-being-asked_18457.jpg) > “Acting on television is like being asked by the captain to entertain the passengers while the ship goes down.” [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights the futility of performing or creating art under dire circumstances, where the audience is oblivious to the impending disaster. **In simple terms:** Art can be meaningless in crisis. Key Takeaway Performance may be irrelevant when stakes are existential. Themes absurdity existentialism performance danger humanity Mood cynical somber Type aphorism observation When to use this quote - wartime propaganda - corporate crisis communication - entertainment during pandemics - political rallies amid scandals Key Concepts illusion responsibility Practical Applications - critical media analysis - ethical guidelines for artists Questions to Reflect On - When does entertainment become escapism? - Should creators acknowledge the context of their audience? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [These great turning-days of life cast no shadow before, slip by unconsciously. 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It's just the natural order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/when-the-ship-goes-down-the-waves-very-quickly-roll-over-the-top-of/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [The opening scene in A New Hope, when you see the huge ship, it goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/the-opening-scene-in-a-new-hope-when-you-see-the-huge-ship-it-goes-on/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [A man may own a ship, but unless he is captain of a crew he goes where the ship goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/a-man-may-own-a-ship-but-unless-he-is-captain-of-a-crew-he-goes-where/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [That's the thing about film acting and television acting. You just release yourself and do what is true for the moment, and ignore everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/that-s-the-thing-about-film-acting-and-television-acting-you-just/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) > [I always say if you've seen good acting on television, those actors are really good. Because there's just not enough time. You don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-alexander/i-always-say-if-you-ve-seen-good-acting-on-television-those-actors/) [Sasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-alexander/) > [In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that's incredibly rare. Otherwise, it can be like working in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/in-the-right-situation-acting-on-television-can-be-extraordinarily/) [Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/) > [My greatest satisfaction in acting on television is to have the opportunity to communicate with the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-burr/my-greatest-satisfaction-in-acting-on-television-is-to-have-the/) [Raymond Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-burr/) > [When I was first starting out, if you were acting on television, it was a real stigma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lahti/when-i-was-first-starting-out-if-you-were-acting-on-television-it-was/) [Christine Lahti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lahti/) > [Unfortunately, my dancing skills never came to the fore, as I got involved in acting on television, where an actor doesn't get too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/unfortunately-my-dancing-skills-never-came-to-the-fore-as-i-got/) [Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/) > [I didn't come to L.A. thinking, okay, I'm going to be an actor, so my progression was just kind of organic, starting in print…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-turner-smith/i-didn-t-come-to-l-a-thinking-okay-i-m-going-to-be-an-actor-so-my/) [Jodie Turner-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-turner-smith/) > [When The Muppet Show ended, we all sat around and said, what kind of television show would we like to do. We felt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-henson/when-the-muppet-show-ended-we-all-sat-around-and-said-what-kind-of/) [Jim Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-henson/) > [I really like working in television and I like exploring a character over a longer period of time, and I like the consistency of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-taylor/i-really-like-working-in-television-and-i-like-exploring-a-character/) [Rachael Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-taylor/) > [Television is like speed chess, as you have no time and no money. It is like trying to play Grandmaster chess with a 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-devlin/television-is-like-speed-chess-as-you-have-no-time-and-no-money-it-is/) [Dean Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-devlin/) > [Working on television is like being shot out of a cannon. They cram you all up with rehearsals, then someone lights a fuse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/working-on-television-is-like-being-shot-out-of-a-cannon-they-cram/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) ## More by Peter Ustinov > [There are experts in little things but there are no experts in big things. There are experts in this fact and that fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/there-are-experts-in-little-things-but-there-are-no-experts-in-big/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [Marriage is like a three-speed gearbox - affection, friendship, love. It is not advisable to crash your gears and go right through to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/marriage-is-like-a-three-speed-gearbox-affection-friendship-love-it/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/i-was-irrevocably-betrothed-to-laughter/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [I don't know why I have these dreams. I've never wanted to be Pope. 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Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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