--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are lucky as an actor, you are…" description: "\"If you are lucky as an actor, you are doing a character that really matches where you are in life, or you're doing a character that is not where you ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/scott-cohen-23412_actor_if-you-are-lucky-as-an-actor-you-are-doi_1003389.png" --- # If you are lucky as an actor, you are doing a character… ![“If you are lucky as an actor, you are doing a character that really matches where you are in life, or you're doing a character that is not where you are. If it's somewhere in between, you have to use a lot of imagination and a lot of thought.” quote by Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/scott-cohen-23412_actor_if-you-are-lucky-as-an-actor-you-are-doi_1003389.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/scott-cohen-23412_actor_if-you-are-lucky-as-an-actor-you-are-doi_1003389.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/scott-cohen-23412_actor_if-you-are-lucky-as-an-actor-you-are-doi_1003389.png) > “If you are lucky as an actor, you are doing a character that really matches where you are in life, or you're doing a character that is not where you are. If it's somewhere in between, you have to use a lot of imagination and a lot of thought.” [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors must align their roles with personal experience or use imagination to bridge gaps, requiring deep thought and creative effort. **In simple terms:** Actors need personal relevance or imagination to portray roles effectively. Key Takeaway Leverage personal experience or imagination for authentic performance. Themes acting imagination self‑reflection Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic psychological When to use this quote - theatre - film - personal growth - role preparation Key Concepts method acting creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you cultivate imagination for unfamiliar roles? - When is personal experience a hindrance? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on personal experience can limit versatility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Where you are in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where-you-are-in-life/) ## Related quotes > [The first step to a better audition is to give up character and use yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/the-first-step-to-a-better-audition-is-to-give-up-character-and-use/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [When you are developing your style, you avoid weaknesses. I am not good at describing things, so I stay away from it. 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Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Nothing destroys self-worth, self-acceptance and self-love faster than denying what you feel. Without feelings, you would not know where you are in life. Nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/nothing-destroys-self-worth-self-acceptance-and-self-love-faster-than/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [ As a woman, when you embrace where you are in life, then I think the struggle \[life\] isn't so hard. If you're 42 and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/as-a-woman-when-you-embrace-where-you-are-in-life-then-i-think-the/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) ## More by Scott Cohen > [There are just times when your body and your soul feed into a character and you somehow meet at the point where that character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/there-are-just-times-when-your-body-and-your-soul-feed-into-a/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [I have always wanted to do a book about actors because I think that the death of a character is a tremendously emotional experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/i-have-always-wanted-to-do-a-book-about-actors-because-i-think-that/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [Throughout my life, I have held the strongest belief that if you write down what you want to accomplish in your life: your dreams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/throughout-my-life-i-have-held-the-strongest-belief-that-if-you-write/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [When I take a role I wonder how I can use it to find out who I really am. I don't think I'm so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/when-i-take-a-role-i-wonder-how-i-can-use-it-to-find-out-who-i-really/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [The most magical moments for me come from the little ones in elementary school. They ask adorable and meaningful questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/the-most-magical-moments-for-me-come-from-the-little-ones-in/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [As an actor, you're never really in control of the product. I think the goal is to create what you want. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/as-an-actor-you-re-never-really-in-control-of-the-product-i-think-the/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [I made a conscious decision to take my life and career in a different direction. I started working on a play, and also, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/i-made-a-conscious-decision-to-take-my-life-and-career-in-a-different/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [There is nothing like understanding that your work has touched somebody. That is the sole purpose of acting. To be able to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/there-is-nothing-like-understanding-that-your-work-has-touched/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [I believe in struggle. And I believe that the struggle is beautiful. You have to try it or you will never know what's beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/i-believe-in-struggle-and-i-believe-that-the-struggle-is-beautiful/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [The Life Cube Burn is cathartic, fun, exciting, and even reverent. It's a spectacular opportunity to put a sense of finality to the event.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/the-life-cube-burn-is-cathartic-fun-exciting-and-even-reverent-it-s-a/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [I've always been creative, with a huge amount of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/i-ve-always-been-creative-with-a-huge-amount-of-energy/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [A lot of people have already been impacted by the Life Cube Project and the principles behind it. They write to me and post…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/a-lot-of-people-have-already-been-impacted-by-the-life-cube-project/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [What really put me over the top was receiving a packet of hundreds of hand-written thank you notes, telling me how the kids were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/what-really-put-me-over-the-top-was-receiving-a-packet-of-hundreds-of/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [New York is just New York. It's a hard city, it's a hard city to live in. It's a desperate city. It's filled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/new-york-is-just-new-york-it-s-a-hard-city-it-s-a-hard-city-to-live/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [If I really knew how to do good storytelling, I would be a writer. Mystery is not a huge part of it. ... It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/if-i-really-knew-how-to-do-good-storytelling-i-would-be-a-writer/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) [Explore all 26 Scott Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) ## 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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