---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My feeling is that in the purest form, an…"
description: "\"My feeling is that in the purest form, an actor is a service to the people. It's democratic in its purest form. That's what an actor is. If he or she i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png"
---

#  My feeling is that in the purest form, an actor is a…

![“My feeling is that in the purest form, an actor is a service to the people. It's democratic in its purest form. That's what an actor is. If he or she isn't that, then there is no purpose in doing it. They're like priests.” quote by Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png)

> “My feeling is that in the purest form, an actor is a service to the people. It's democratic in its purest form. That's what an actor is. If he or she isn't that, then there is no purpose in doing it. They're like priests.”

[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.

An actor should serve the public, embodying democratic values; without this purpose, the role loses meaning.

**In simple terms:** Actors must serve people, otherwise their work lacks purpose.

Key Takeaway

Focus on serving the audience.

Themes

service democracy purpose artistic responsibility

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical artistic

When to use this quote

- theatre productions
- community outreach
- political satire
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

public engagement social function ethical art

Questions to Reflect On

- How can actors make service tangible?
- What responsibilities arise from this view?

A Different Perspective

If audiences are apathetic, service may feel futile.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [As an actor, you're always at the service of somebody else's vision. In a play, it's more of the director's vision, and he or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-daniels/as-an-actor-you-re-always-at-the-service-of-somebody-else-s-vision-in/)

[Jeff Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-daniels/)

> [I design for the movie and the character as well as the person wearing the costume. I show the ideas to the actor, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/i-design-for-the-movie-and-the-character-as-well-as-the-person/)

[Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/)

> [Hope and purpose in this world is living as best as you can and maybe having life that gives back. But simply giving back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/hope-and-purpose-in-this-world-is-living-as-best-as-you-can-and-maybe/)

[Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/)

> [Profit isn't a purpose, it's a result. To have purpose means the things we do are of real value to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/profit-isn-t-a-purpose-it-s-a-result-to-have-purpose-means-the-things/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn't a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/we-ought-to-ban-hunting-i-suggest-if-there-isn-t-a-purpose-other-than/)

[Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/)

> [We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn't a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/we-ought-to-ban-hunting-i-suggest-if-there-isn-t-a-purpose-other-than-2/)

[Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/)

> [Generous gestures yield the most when that isn't their purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/generous-gestures-yield-the-most-when-that-isn-t-their-purpose/)

[Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/)

> [“That's something we all want to know, isn't it? Is there a "purpose" to our form and substance? Or are we simply the random…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sinn-nachtrieb/that-s-something-we-all-want-to-know-isn-t-it-is-there-a-purpose-to/)

Peter Sinn Nachtrieb

> [You want to enjoy life, don't you? If you get your job done quickly and your job is fun, that's good isn't it? That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukihiro-matsumoto/you-want-to-enjoy-life-don-t-you-if-you-get-your-job-done-quickly-and/)

[Yukihiro Matsumoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukihiro-matsumoto/)

> [Getting to be on DVD is a huge step for me as an actor, this isn't the world that I imagined for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wiseman/getting-to-be-on-dvd-is-a-huge-step-for-me-as-an-actor-this-isn-t-the/)

[Mary Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wiseman/)

> [Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I'm done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/being-a-good-actor-isn-t-easy-being-a-man-is-even-harder-i-want-to-be/)

[James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/)

> [Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's all you have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/being-an-actor-is-the-loneliest-thing-in-the-world-you-are-all-alone-2/)

[James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/)

> [In film, other actors' performances really are not your concern. If the other actor isn't giving you what you want, act as though he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/in-film-other-actors-performances-really-are-not-your-concern-if-the/)

[Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/)

> [To be honest, I sort of feel like 'movie actor' isn't of this time. I love it. But it's a 20th-century art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/to-be-honest-i-sort-of-feel-like-movie-actor-isn-t-of-this-time-i/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [I'm an actor who isn't fond of dialogue and who loves to act silently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-cluzet/i-m-an-actor-who-isn-t-fond-of-dialogue-and-who-loves-to-act-silently/)

Francois Cluzet

## 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/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/if-you-are-lucky-as-an-actor-you-are-doing-a-character-that-really/)

[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/)

[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! 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 feeling is that in the purest form, an actor is a service to the people. It's democratic in its purest form. That's what an actor is. If he or she isn't that, then there is no purpose in doing it. They're like priests.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Scott Cohen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an-actor-is-a-service-to-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an-actor-is-a-service-to-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/scott-cohen-23412_actor_my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an_2241720.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My feeling is that in the purest form, an actor is a service to the people. It's democratic in its purest…” — Scott Cohen",
                "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": "Scott Cohen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My feeling is that in the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an-actor-is-a-service-to-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/my-feeling-is-that-in-the-purest-form-an-actor-is-a-service-to-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
