--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very…" description: "\"Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I know what those feel like, and I don't think that ever leaves you as an actor.\" — Rich Sommer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg" --- # Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I… ![“Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I know what those feel like, and I don't think that ever leaves you as an actor.” quote by Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg) > “Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I know what those feel like, and I don't think that ever leaves you as an actor.” [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even after success, actors experience creative droughts that persist beyond roles. **In simple terms:** Creative droughts linger. Key Takeaway Cultivate continuous inspiration. Themes creativity career dry spells Mood reflective hopeful Type professional motivational When to use this quote - acting workshops - writing retreats - mindfulness practices - career coaching Key Concepts performance arts mental health creative process Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your creativity? - How do you overcome blocks? A Different Perspective Dry spells can be temporary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Definitely Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitely-dry-2448738/) [Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry/) [Dry Spells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry-spells-450313/) [Feel Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-like/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Know Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-feel/) [Leaves Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-actor-2448739/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Mad men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-men/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Spells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spells/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Even the greatest actors have had dry spells where they've wondered if they were going to work again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-walker/even-the-greatest-actors-have-had-dry-spells-where-they-ve-wondered/) [Benjamin Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-walker/) > [Celibacy & dry spells are definitely not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/celibacy-dry-spells-are-definitely-not-the-same-thing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a sense of humor. I usually come off as very serious, but I definitely have a dry sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walsh/i-have-a-sense-of-humor-i-usually-come-off-as-very-serious-but-i/) [Bill Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walsh/) > [“You do things when the opportunities come along. I've had periods in my life when I've had a bundle of ideals come along, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/you-do-things-when-the-opportunities-come-along-i-ve-had-periods-in-2/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Yes, I get dry spells. Sometimes I can't turn out a thing for three months. When one of those spells comes on I quit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/yes-i-get-dry-spells-sometimes-i-can-t-turn-out-a-thing-for-three/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [We are often like rivers: careless and forceful, timid and dangerous, lucid and muddied, eddying, gleaming, still. Lovers, farmers, and artists have one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/we-are-often-like-rivers-careless-and-forceful-timid-and-dangerous/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [Normally I can balance two or three things. The problem is when you're out of work and don't have anything to balance. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hamlisch/normally-i-can-balance-two-or-three-things-the-problem-is-when-you-re/) [Marvin Hamlisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hamlisch/) > [And sometimes you just have to trust that there will be more, sometimes you go through dry spells and you have to assure yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/and-sometimes-you-just-have-to-trust-that-there-will-be-more/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [“After my first few tastes I was pretty much hooked. I'd have dry spells, months without any or only piddling amounts of grace, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/after-my-first-few-tastes-i-was-pretty-much-hooked-i-d-have-dry/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [“In any relationship, there will be frightening spells in which your feelings of love dry up. And when that happens you must remember that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/in-any-relationship-there-will-be-frightening-spells-in-which-your/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [('Mad Men') was my final audition of the pilot season. It had been three miserable, horrible months where I had zero callbacks, zero positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/mad-men-was-my-final-audition-of-the-pilot-season-it-had-been-three/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [The 12 years that I was improvising are why I got the number of commercials I got when I was in New York and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/the-12-years-that-i-was-improvising-are-why-i-got-the-number-of/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [Frankly, as much as I love to improvise, it hasn't been difficult to stick to the script on 'Mad Men.' The writing is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/frankly-as-much-as-i-love-to-improvise-it-hasn-t-been-difficult-to/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [The work that I've gotten in the hiatuses seems to indicate that I will have a little more work after 'Mad Men' than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/the-work-that-i-ve-gotten-in-the-hiatuses-seems-to-indicate-that-i/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [For the three years I lived in New York leading up to moving out to Los Angeles for 'Mad Men,' I was an office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/for-the-three-years-i-lived-in-new-york-leading-up-to-moving-out-to/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) ## More by Rich Sommer > [In college, my friend Melanie and I used to have weekly Jimmy Stewart viewings, and 'Harvey' seemed to make its way into the rotation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/in-college-my-friend-melanie-and-i-used-to-have-weekly-jimmy-stewart/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [Part of what I love about games is that, even if you're best friends with somebody, it gives you these sort of moments where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/part-of-what-i-love-about-games-is-that-even-if-you-re-best-friends/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I listen to a lot of podcasts, which are split down the middle between comedy and board game podcasts, and a couple of eclectic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-listen-to-a-lot-of-podcasts-which-are-split-down-the-middle-between/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I'm a bit of a nerd, and my extracurricular activity is nerd games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-m-a-bit-of-a-nerd-and-my-extracurricular-activity-is-nerd-games/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [The amount of times my wife has rolled her eyes at board games is impossible to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/the-amount-of-times-my-wife-has-rolled-her-eyes-at-board-games-is/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I only aim for fashion that's long dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-only-aim-for-fashion-that-s-long-dead/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I abhor 'baby talk.' I speak to kids like I would any other person, and they seem to respond to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-abhor-baby-talk-i-speak-to-kids-like-i-would-any-other-person-and/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [The work that I've gotten in the hiatuses seems to indicate that I will have a little more work after 'Mad Men' than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/the-work-that-i-ve-gotten-in-the-hiatuses-seems-to-indicate-that-i/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [Gaming has been a great way to get to know people. That's part of what I love about games, that they are social.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/gaming-has-been-a-great-way-to-get-to-know-people-that-s-part-of-what/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I think not every improviser is a good stage actor. Certainly not every stage actor is a good improviser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-think-not-every-improviser-is-a-good-stage-actor-certainly-not/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I would be lucky to be remembered as Harry Crane. That being said, I think it's a goal for most actors to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-would-be-lucky-to-be-remembered-as-harry-crane-that-being-said-i/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I'm very happy to say goodbye to the three-button suits. I hate three-button suits. Some people can pull them off, but they're legitimately really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-m-very-happy-to-say-goodbye-to-the-three-button-suits-i-hate-three/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [My only foray into anything stock-market-related was in my eighth grade social studies class. I have steered clear ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/my-only-foray-into-anything-stock-market-related-was-in-my-eighth/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I wonder if games are maybe a terminus for ideas. Things can be books or movies or operas or plays, but once they're a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-wonder-if-games-are-maybe-a-terminus-for-ideas-things-can-be-books/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [I have an RSS reader, Feeddler. I mostly subscribe to board game blogs - they have reviews of new games and discussions about trends.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/i-have-an-rss-reader-feeddler-i-mostly-subscribe-to-board-game-blogs/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) [Explore all 41 Rich Sommer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) ## 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": "Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I know what those feel like, and I don't think that ever leaves you as an actor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rich Sommer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry-spells-and-i-know-what-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry-spells-and-i-know-what-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f88/rich-sommer-15874_actor_before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry_2663712.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had very dry spells and I know what those feel like, and I don't think that…” — Rich Sommer", "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": "Rich Sommer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before 'Mad Men,' I definitely had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry-spells-and-i-know-what-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/before-mad-men-i-definitely-had-very-dry-spells-and-i-know-what-those/#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 } } ] } ```