--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My whole thing is I just always wanted to…" description: "\"My whole thing is I just always wanted to be a working actor and I just wanted to stop waiting tables.\" — Rainn Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png" --- # My whole thing is I just always wanted to be a working… ![“My whole thing is I just always wanted to be a working actor and I just wanted to stop waiting tables.” quote by Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png) > “My whole thing is I just always wanted to be a working actor and I just wanted to stop waiting tables.” [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wilson expresses his long‑standing desire to act professionally, motivated by a wish to leave behind waiting‑table work. **In simple terms:** He wants to be a working actor. Key Takeaway Commit to your artistic goals. Themes career ambition artistic pursuit determination transition humor Mood determined hopeful Type motivational practical When to use this quote - audition preparation - acting classes - networking - portfolio building Key Concepts acting career change personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What steps will you take to act? - How do you handle setbacks? A Different Perspective Breaking into acting is highly competitive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Working actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-actor/) ## Related quotes > [All I wanted to do was be a working actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-sears/all-i-wanted-to-do-was-be-a-working-actor/) [Teddy Sears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-sears/) > [When I first set out to do it, I wanted to be a working actor, and now it seems like it's superseded even my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/when-i-first-set-out-to-do-it-i-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-and-now/) [Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/) > [I wanted to be a working actor, but I like being anonymous. So to me, voice work was the way to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russi-taylor/i-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-but-i-like-being-anonymous-so-to-me/) [Russi Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russi-taylor/) > [All I really wanted to be was a working actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/all-i-really-wanted-to-be-was-a-working-actor/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [When I left Maine, I always wanted to be a working actor. I never cared too much about being the star. I just wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dempsey/when-i-left-maine-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-i-never-cared/) [Patrick Dempsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dempsey/) > [I'm a normal working actor - just the way I want it. I have never been the one to want the fame of everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-revolori/i-m-a-normal-working-actor-just-the-way-i-want-it-i-have-never-been/) [Tony Revolori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-revolori/) > [My old manager of the Irish National Theatre said 'Don't worry about being a star, just worry about being a working actor. Just keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-meaney/my-old-manager-of-the-irish-national-theatre-said-don-t-worry-about/) [Colm Meaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-meaney/) > [I never wished to be a 'rock star.' I just wanted to be a working musician. My dreams didn't even go past a session…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-5/i-never-wished-to-be-a-rock-star-i-just-wanted-to-be-a-working/) [John 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-5/) > [What I really wanted wasn't what I thought I was supposed to want. 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I wanted to be a working character actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/my-goal-was-just-to-work-regularly-i-didn-t-ever-expect-to-be-rich-or/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [I just wanted to be a working character actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horse/i-just-wanted-to-be-a-working-character-actor/) [Michael Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horse/) > [I wanted to keep working because work was essentially fantastic - you got to be around people, you got to be in a family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/i-wanted-to-keep-working-because-work-was-essentially-fantastic-you/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [I planned to stop in 2002 after the Salt Lake City Olympics. I felt able to remain competitive another four years, and I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-maier/i-planned-to-stop-in-2002-after-the-salt-lake-city-olympics-i-felt/) [Hermann Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-maier/) ## More by Rainn Wilson > ['SoulPancake' is a website that I founded with a couple of friends, and it is for exploring life's big questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/soulpancake-is-a-website-that-i-founded-with-a-couple-of-friends-and/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My dad was always such a frustrated artist. He always worked very hard to support his family, doing a bunch of ridiculous jobs. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-dad-was-always-such-a-frustrated-artist-he-always-worked-very-hard/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My dad wanted to name me after Rainier Maria Rilke, the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-dad-wanted-to-name-me-after-rainier-maria-rilke-the-poet/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [Ralph Waldo Emerson would definitely be my homeboy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/ralph-waldo-emerson-would-definitely-be-my-homeboy/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [A guy may wear a suit and have a high-paying job and appear very mature, but essentially, he's a 14-year-old boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/a-guy-may-wear-a-suit-and-have-a-high-paying-job-and-appear-very/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [“7. SUSHI IS ABOUT THE FISH, IDIOTS Sushi is raw fish, Fresh, oily, fatty, delicate, slightly cool, thinly sliced or expertly cubed sections of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/7-sushi-is-about-the-fish-idiots-sushi-is-raw-fish-fresh-oily-fatty/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [I think that doing comedy and playing Dwight is a service. Not to get grandiose about it, but I have a talent for playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/i-think-that-doing-comedy-and-playing-dwight-is-a-service-not-to-get/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [The great challenge working on this show for me is wearing polyester all day long and having the worst haircut known to man at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/the-great-challenge-working-on-this-show-for-me-is-wearing-polyester/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [The camera adds ten pounds and ten thousand dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/the-camera-adds-ten-pounds-and-ten-thousand-dollars/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [Music is universal too. Even deaf people like to dance, love rhythm, and can kind of pick it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/music-is-universal-too-even-deaf-people-like-to-dance-love-rhythm-and/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [I know what I look like - a weird, sad clown puppet. I'm fine with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/i-know-what-i-look-like-a-weird-sad-clown-puppet-i-m-fine-with-that/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My body has been making women laugh for the last 20 years and I'm happy to continue to oblige.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-body-has-been-making-women-laugh-for-the-last-20-years-and-i-m/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [We live in a really racist culture and it's got to be addressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/we-live-in-a-really-racist-culture-and-it-s-got-to-be-addressed/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [You meet people in Hollywood that are famous, and you're not sure what they got famous for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/you-meet-people-in-hollywood-that-are-famous-and-you-re-not-sure-what/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [If we're going to sustain 22 episodes a year for the next 10 years, we need that ensemble to fill out the office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/if-we-re-going-to-sustain-22-episodes-a-year-for-the-next-10-years-we/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) [Explore all 112 Rainn Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) ## 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": "My whole thing is I just always wanted to be a working actor and I just wanted to stop waiting tables.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rainn Wilson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/rainn-wilson-4323_actor_my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-t_2901837.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My whole thing is I just always wanted to be a working actor and I just wanted to stop waiting tables.” — Rainn Wilson", "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": "Rainn Wilson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My whole thing is I just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/my-whole-thing-is-i-just-always-wanted-to-be-a-working-actor-and-i/#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 } } ] } ```