---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's where I'd like to be: when the…"
description: "\"That's where I'd like to be: when the business says here's a good actor who is marketable so we can use him. Just that.\" — Sam Waterston"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg"
---

#  That's where I'd like to be: when the business says here's…

![“That's where I'd like to be: when the business says here's a good actor who is marketable so we can use him. Just that.” quote by Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg)

> “That's where I'd like to be: when the business says here's a good actor who is marketable so we can use him. Just that.”

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Actors are valued for marketability, reducing them to commodities for business needs.

**In simple terms:** Actors become marketable assets.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and negotiate your professional value.

Themes

business marketing artistry

Mood

reflective determined

Type

professional philosophical

When to use this quote

- casting decisions
- contract negotiations
- career planning

Key Concepts

commodification brand industry

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance art and market demands?
- What strategies protect creative freedom?

A Different Perspective

Market pressures can stifle artistic integrity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Good actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-actors/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [When you work with a good actor, there is this natural rapport and chemistry that develops over time. That chemistry helps your characters come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aamir-khan/when-you-work-with-a-good-actor-there-is-this-natural-rapport-and/)

[Aamir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aamir-khan/)

> [I went to New York out of college, and in my day, we were told that was the way you became a good actor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/i-went-to-new-york-out-of-college-and-in-my-day-we-were-told-that-was/)

[Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/)

> [I feel very fortunate, I've been exposed to a lot of different cultures. If I wasn't from a multi-ethnic background, I wouldn't have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navi-rawat/i-feel-very-fortunate-i-ve-been-exposed-to-a-lot-of-different/)

[Navi Rawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navi-rawat/)

> [The skill of a good actor is to make it always seem like you're in that fantastically spontaneous moment. Very often, a stand-up comedian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/the-skill-of-a-good-actor-is-to-make-it-always-seem-like-you-re-in/)

[Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/)

> [My casting process was slightly different and slightly interesting insofar as I knew everybody could act. That's something you've seen. You know people can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mazer/my-casting-process-was-slightly-different-and-slightly-interesting/)

[Dan Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mazer/)

> [I just want to do the best possible job with everything that I do. But I'm far more concerned with being a good father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-just-want-to-do-the-best-possible-job-with-everything-that-i-do-but/)

[Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/)

> [I like the fact that Chris Rock is one of the best stand ups ever and still is a really good actor. And a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-dugan/i-like-the-fact-that-chris-rock-is-one-of-the-best-stand-ups-ever-and/)

Dennis Dugan

> [Christoph Waltz is stunning, an insanely nice guy. He is not only a ridiculously good actor, he’s also funny, helpful & a good colleague.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/christoph-waltz-is-stunning-an-insanely-nice-guy-he-is-not-only-a/)

[Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/)

> [Sometimes, I even recite the role to the actor if it's not clear. And I beg them not to imitate me, because I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/sometimes-i-even-recite-the-role-to-the-actor-if-it-s-not-clear-and-i/)

[Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/)

> [In order to be able to work with somebody in acting, you've first got to think that person's a good actor before you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dekay/in-order-to-be-able-to-work-with-somebody-in-acting-you-ve-first-got/)

[Tim DeKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dekay/)

> [I'm not a good actor, I can play myself and a much gayer version of myself. That's my range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/i-m-not-a-good-actor-i-can-play-myself-and-a-much-gayer-version-of/)

[Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/)

> [To me, a lot of what makes a good actor is not what a teacher tells you to do but how you respond when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenne-headly/to-me-a-lot-of-what-makes-a-good-actor-is-not-what-a-teacher-tells/)

[Glenne Headly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenne-headly/)

> [In my theater days I assumed that you had to get rid of yourself to do a character well, and I don’t think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-day/in-my-theater-days-i-assumed-that-you-had-to-get-rid-of-yourself-to/)

[Charlie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-day/)

> [For people who want to get into the voiceover industry, even if you want to get into commercial, you need to become a really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-bergen/for-people-who-want-to-get-into-the-voiceover-industry-even-if-you/)

[Bob Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-bergen/)

> [A good actor makes clear the meaning of the words. A better actor gives also the emotion of the part. The best actor adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-eames/a-good-actor-makes-clear-the-meaning-of-the-words-a-better-actor/)

Clare Eames

## More by Sam Waterston

> [I played Lucky in Waiting for Godot at Yale and it was a thing that Stanislavski talks about: he says you don't need his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-played-lucky-in-waiting-for-godot-at-yale-and-it-was-a-thing-that/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [As for lawyers, it's more fun to play one than to be one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/as-for-lawyers-it-s-more-fun-to-play-one-than-to-be-one/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [I think people have some control over what they want; there's a relationship - maybe not automatic - between what you want and get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-think-people-have-some-control-over-what-they-want-there-s-a/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [Good directors say, Here's where the play is. They stand by the heart of the matter. Some of them stand beside it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/good-directors-say-here-s-where-the-play-is-they-stand-by-the-heart/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [I think the bait for doing something really is always the part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-think-the-bait-for-doing-something-really-is-always-the-part/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [I dont think playing a villain is my greatest talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-dont-think-playing-a-villain-is-my-greatest-talent/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [In order to continue to do interesting work, you need to be...proceeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/in-order-to-continue-to-do-interesting-work-you-need-to-be-proceeding/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [I literally was saved by a role, from becoming a cab driver. I never did have to wait tables, though, so looking back I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-literally-was-saved-by-a-role-from-becoming-a-cab-driver-i-never/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [The Killing Fields, my character's teachings frame the movie and the argument of his lectures is the challenge of dealing with the painfulness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/the-killing-fields-my-character-s-teachings-frame-the-movie-and-the/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [“In reality, conclusions are muddy, there are no final curtains, and life just goes on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/in-reality-conclusions-are-muddy-there-are-no-final-curtains-and-life/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [I don't like driving much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-don-t-like-driving-much/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [If you're going to be born ugly and be an actor - the least they can do is let you play Lincoln.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/if-you-re-going-to-be-born-ugly-and-be-an-actor-the-least-they-can-do/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [Painting is very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/painting-is-very-interesting/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [The bad guys don't always get punished and the good guys are not necessarily pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/the-bad-guys-don-t-always-get-punished-and-the-good-guys-are-not/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

> [I enjoy listening to opera at home, occasionally, but I would much rather see it than just listen to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/i-enjoy-listening-to-opera-at-home-occasionally-but-i-would-much/)

[Sam Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

[Explore all 34 Sam Waterston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/)

## 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": "That's where I'd like to be: when the business says here's a good actor who is marketable so we can use him. Just that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Waterston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-business-says-here-s-a-good/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-business-says-here-s-a-good/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/sam-waterston-18872_actor_that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-bus_627149.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That's where I'd like to be: when the business says here's a good actor who is marketable so we can use him…” — Sam Waterston",
                "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": "Sam Waterston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-waterston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That's where I'd like to be:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-business-says-here-s-a-good/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-waterston/that-s-where-i-d-like-to-be-when-the-business-says-here-s-a-good/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```