--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What actor doesn't want to walk around a…" description: "\"What actor doesn't want to walk around a set and be called 'Mr. President?' Playing POTUS is a kind of rite of passage among American actors - our vers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/rod-lurie-4956_actor_what-actor-doesn-t-want-to-walk-around-a_2454963.jpg" --- # What actor doesn't want to walk around a set and be called… ![“What actor doesn't want to walk around a set and be called 'Mr. President?' Playing POTUS is a kind of rite of passage among American actors - our version of playing Hamlet.” quote by Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/rod-lurie-4956_actor_what-actor-doesn-t-want-to-walk-around-a_2454963.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/rod-lurie-4956_actor_what-actor-doesn-t-want-to-walk-around-a_2454963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/rod-lurie-4956_actor_what-actor-doesn-t-want-to-walk-around-a_2454963.jpg) > “What actor doesn't want to walk around a set and be called 'Mr. President?' Playing POTUS is a kind of rite of passage among American actors - our version of playing Hamlet.” [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playing the President in film is a prestigious role for American actors, akin to a rite of passage similar to playing Hamlet in theater. **In simple terms:** President roles are a major milestone for actors. Key Takeaway Seek challenging, iconic roles. Themes acting career milestones culture Mood ambitious reflective Type advice observational When to use this quote - film industry - theatrical tradition - public perception Key Concepts prestige typecasting career development Questions to Reflect On - Do you want a role that defines you? - How can you avoid being typecast? A Different Perspective Such roles can typecast actors, limiting future diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Actors Version](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors-version-603126/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-actors/) [Around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Playing Hamlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-hamlet-603125/) [Playing Potus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-potus-603124/) [Rite of passage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rite-of-passage/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk/) ## Related quotes > [We're interested by public personas and private personas, otherwise we wouldn't put on with actors rambling on with the same kind of stuff, over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-jones/we-re-interested-by-public-personas-and-private-personas-otherwise-we/) [Toby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-jones/) > [I saw Ben Whishaw playing Hamlet at the Old Vic and straight away had a very strong sense that he might be the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tykwer/i-saw-ben-whishaw-playing-hamlet-at-the-old-vic-and-straight-away-had/) [Tom Tykwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tykwer/) > [The essential is to excite the spectators. If that means playing Hamlet on a flying trapeze or in an aquarium, you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-essential-is-to-excite-the-spectators-if-that-means-playing/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [ I had to kiss it \[ playing Hamlet\] goodbye because Marvel have to plot things for the next three, four years. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-had-to-kiss-it-playing-hamlet-goodbye-because-marvel-have-to-plot/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [I am not one of those people who like to play. I don't. I'm neither coy, nor do I, in any way, want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/i-am-not-one-of-those-people-who-like-to-play-i-don-t-i-m-neither-coy/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [American actors who voice animated movies are so brilliant at it, because by the nature of American speak, it's full of energy and full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/american-actors-who-voice-animated-movies-are-so-brilliant-at-it/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I certainly don't approve of American actors who go to Europe and run down Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-heflin/i-certainly-don-t-approve-of-american-actors-who-go-to-europe-and-run/) [Van Heflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-heflin/) > [The reason that most British actors are better than most American actors in the end is that they don't make any money. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-reason-that-most-british-actors-are-better-than-most-american/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [It was pretty daunting. Normally, I never go to a gym, but before we started shooting, I thought I'd better. I reckoned I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/it-was-pretty-daunting-normally-i-never-go-to-a-gym-but-before-we/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [Uta Hagen is our greatest living actor; she is, moreover, interested and mystified by the presence of talent and its workings; her third gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-weaver/uta-hagen-is-our-greatest-living-actor-she-is-moreover-interested-and/) [Fritz Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-weaver/) > [Coming from documentaries, my biggest challenge was to understand actors' psychologies. American actors take it all very seriously; British actors don't enter into all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/coming-from-documentaries-my-biggest-challenge-was-to-understand/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [Eventually, in '84, we made a film for a little over a million dollars - with American actors that was shot in English -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renny-harlin/eventually-in-84-we-made-a-film-for-a-little-over-a-million-dollars/) [Renny Harlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renny-harlin/) > [A lot of these American actors have this - in my view - misplaced view that they have to look like Action Man. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/a-lot-of-these-american-actors-have-this-in-my-view-misplaced-view/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [I was trained to serve the writer and director as an actor before I serve myself. Not to say that's gotten in my way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-was-trained-to-serve-the-writer-and-director-as-an-actor-before-i/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) ## More by Rod Lurie > [There was scarcely a month during 1988 when Thomas Harris' novel, 'The Silence Of The Lambs,' was not on or around the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/there-was-scarcely-a-month-during-1988-when-thomas-harris-novel-the/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [Now, I don't know about my peers, but I get nervous - okay, I genuinely freak out - when an actor starts trying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/now-i-don-t-know-about-my-peers-but-i-get-nervous-okay-i-genuinely/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I admire how Tarantino finds music that's semifamiliar and not famous: undiscovered gems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-admire-how-tarantino-finds-music-that-s-semifamiliar-and-not-famous/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [Simply stated, sometimes journalists can only get their information from informants who must remain anonymous in order to protect their careers and sometimes even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/simply-stated-sometimes-journalists-can-only-get-their-information/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [We make movies to endorse our own personal feelings. I am not, in fact, a documentary filmmaker. I've got my personal beliefs, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/we-make-movies-to-endorse-our-own-personal-feelings-i-am-not-in-fact/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [It's very exciting to continue to work at DreamWorks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/it-s-very-exciting-to-continue-to-work-at-dreamworks/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I think that most of the young officers I know are leftists and liberals and Democrats. And the reason is this: All of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-think-that-most-of-the-young-officers-i-know-are-leftists-and/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [Marc Frydman and I are overwhelmed by the confidence Touchstone Television has shown in us, and we're thrilled to continue trying to knock 'em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/marc-frydman-and-i-are-overwhelmed-by-the-confidence-touchstone/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [Hollywood is enamored of the 20- to 30-year-old actress, but by the very nature of the life experience of the character, the roles cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/hollywood-is-enamored-of-the-20-to-30-year-old-actress-but-by-the/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [Sometimes, anonymous sources, when merely stating opinions or running a smear campaign, are certainly cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/sometimes-anonymous-sources-when-merely-stating-opinions-or-running-a/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I can be accused of being acerbic as a critic and writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-can-be-accused-of-being-acerbic-as-a-critic-and-writer/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I can't stand to see myself on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-can-t-stand-to-see-myself-on-tv/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I fell in love with 'Ben Hur' when I was 8 years old, and I just knew I had to be involved in movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-fell-in-love-with-ben-hur-when-i-was-8-years-old-and-i-just-knew-i/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I want to have a movie where people's eyes are glued to the screen, not when they're running from the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-want-to-have-a-movie-where-people-s-eyes-are-glued-to-the-screen/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I remember watching movies like 'Fatal Attraction' and watching the audience go bananas at the end of the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/i-remember-watching-movies-like-fatal-attraction-and-watching-the/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) [Explore all 104 Rod Lurie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) ## 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! 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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": "What actor doesn't want to walk around a set and be called 'Mr. President?' 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