--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The one thing I could do was voices and…" description: "\"The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call for that, except on Saturday Night Live.\" — P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg" --- # The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and… ![“The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call for that, except on Saturday Night Live.” quote by Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg) > “The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call for that, except on Saturday Night Live.” [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He notes that his unique vocal talents were underutilized outside of a specific comedy platform. **In simple terms:** His voice skills were mostly used on SNL. Key Takeaway Seek venues that value your unique talents. Themes career creativity talent utilization Mood motivational reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - auditions - creative collaborations - networking events Key Concepts voice acting character work comedy performance Questions to Reflect On - How can niche talents be marketed elsewhere? - What steps can expand a specialized skill set? A Different Perspective Niche skills may limit broader opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Saturday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday/) [Saturday night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday-night/) [Saturday night live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday-night-live/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [Even when I was at 'SNL,' I didn't do impersonations. I always wanted to be the kind of person who could do them -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/even-when-i-was-at-snl-i-didn-t-do-impersonations-i-always-wanted-to/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Whatever I did on 'Saturday Night Live' is going to stay and remain on 'Saturday Night Live.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/whatever-i-did-on-saturday-night-live-is-going-to-stay-and-remain-on/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [From National Lampoon, you go directly to Saturday Night Live, because it's a lot of the same people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/from-national-lampoon-you-go-directly-to-saturday-night-live-because/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When I was on 'Saturday Night Live,' all I did was work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-shannon/when-i-was-on-saturday-night-live-all-i-did-was-work/) [Molly Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-shannon/) > [ “The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s 11:30. This is something Lorne \[Michaels\] has said often about Saturday… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/the-show-doesn-t-go-on-because-it-s-ready-it-goes-on-because-it-s-11/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Saturday Night Live is hitting me on a regular basis again. This is my fourth decade that I've been lampooned on Saturday Night Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldo-rivera/saturday-night-live-is-hitting-me-on-a-regular-basis-again-this-is-my/) [Geraldo Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldo-rivera/) > [I'm more of a comedian. I wouldn't mind being on SNL (Saturday Night Live). I think that would be cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-kimball/i-m-more-of-a-comedian-i-wouldn-t-mind-being-on-snl-saturday-night/) [Cheyenne Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-kimball/) > [I mean, sitcoms shouldn't be doing 'Saturday Night Live.' You can't just do bit after bit after bit. You have to string it together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-dewitt/i-mean-sitcoms-shouldn-t-be-doing-saturday-night-live-you-can-t-just/) [Joyce DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-dewitt/) > ['Saturday Night Live' was the joy of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/saturday-night-live-was-the-joy-of-my-life/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [I'd like to do 'Saturday Night Live.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/i-d-like-to-do-saturday-night-live/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [When I was 8 years old, I watched 'Saturday Night Live,' and I always wanted to be on there and be an entertainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-ziggler/when-i-was-8-years-old-i-watched-saturday-night-live-and-i-always/) [Dolph Ziggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-ziggler/) > [I would love to host 'Saturday Night Live.' That's one of my goals in life - just putting that out there. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessia-cara/i-would-love-to-host-saturday-night-live-that-s-one-of-my-goals-in/) [Alessia Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessia-cara/) > ['Saturday Night Live' is live television. Nothing can compare to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/saturday-night-live-is-live-television-nothing-can-compare-to-that/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [If it weren't for The Groundlings, I would never be on Saturday Night Live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kattan/if-it-weren-t-for-the-groundlings-i-would-never-be-on-saturday-night/) [Chris Kattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kattan/) > [I think 'Saturday Night Live', starting in the 1970s, really gave women an outlet to be funny. A lot of those women went on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-think-saturday-night-live-starting-in-the-1970s-really-gave-women/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) ## More by Phil Hartman > [I'm a really big fan of Bill Murray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-m-a-really-big-fan-of-bill-murray/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [My brothers and sisters and I spoke in a language called Egg Latin. In the early '50s in Canada, this became a fad way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/my-brothers-and-sisters-and-i-spoke-in-a-language-called-egg-latin-in/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [It's been five years worth of planning and negotiating to bring this to a reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/it-s-been-five-years-worth-of-planning-and-negotiating-to-bring-this/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [I think my most famous was 'Poco's Legend.' It's a white album with a simple line drawing of a horse. It almost has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-think-my-most-famous-was-poco-s-legend-it-s-a-white-album-with-a/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [I could never learn what I'm learning at college. They don't teach it there, because it can't be learned in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-could-never-learn-what-i-m-learning-at-college-they-don-t-teach-it/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [It's fun coming in as the second or third lead. If the movie or TV show bombs, you aren't to blame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/it-s-fun-coming-in-as-the-second-or-third-lead-if-the-movie-or-tv/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [I found the writing arena to be much less competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-found-the-writing-arena-to-be-much-less-competitive/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [Marines die, that's what we're here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/marines-die-that-s-what-we-re-here-for-but-the-marine-corps-lives/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [“I think in my old age I've come to realize just how precious everything is and I try to value the many blessings that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-think-in-my-old-age-i-ve-come-to-realize-just-how-precious/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [“I think in my old age I've come to realize just how precious everything is and I try to value the many blessings that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-think-in-my-old-age-i-ve-come-to-realize-just-how-precious-2/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [I was 36, and I had decided to quit acting because it was so disappointing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-was-36-and-i-had-decided-to-quit-acting-because-it-was-so/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > ['Blasto' is a new game for Sony Playstation. It's an awesome three-dimensional game, and I play the character Blasto who's sort of a Flash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/blasto-is-a-new-game-for-sony-playstation-it-s-an-awesome-three/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [One of the remarkable things about my career is that it has been marked by steady, incremental progress. No sudden spikes up, and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/one-of-the-remarkable-things-about-my-career-is-that-it-has-been/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [I think there's a notion in our society, and it may be valid, that people aren't as funny when they get older. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/i-think-there-s-a-notion-in-our-society-and-it-may-be-valid-that/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) > [As an actor, I felt I couldn't compete. I wasn't as cute as the leading man; I wasn't as brilliant as Robin Williams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/as-an-actor-i-felt-i-couldn-t-compete-i-wasn-t-as-cute-as-the-leading/) [Phil Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) [Explore all 20 Phil Hartman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [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/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [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/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call for that, except on Saturday Night Live.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phil Hartman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and-impersonations-and-weird/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and-impersonations-and-weird/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5f/phil-hartman-27415_character_the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and_682416.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, and there was really no call…” — Phil Hartman", "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": "Phil Hartman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hartman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The one thing I could do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and-impersonations-and-weird/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hartman/the-one-thing-i-could-do-was-voices-and-impersonations-and-weird/#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 } } ] } ```