--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can make a better living as an actor…" description: "\"I can make a better living as an actor than I can as a director. Though I certainly would prefer to be directing movies.\" — Sean Penn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png" --- # I can make a better living as an actor than I can as a… ![“I can make a better living as an actor than I can as a director. Though I certainly would prefer to be directing movies.” quote by Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png) > “I can make a better living as an actor than I can as a director. Though I certainly would prefer to be directing movies.” [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting pays more than directing, though he prefers directing movies. **In simple terms:** Financial reality vs. passion. Key Takeaway Pursue passion while managing finances. Themes career finance artistic desire Mood determined realistic Type career inspirational When to use this quote - film production - acting gigs - budgeting Key Concepts economics creative industries Questions to Reflect On - What steps can align passion with income? - How do you negotiate creative control? A Different Perspective Passion may not sustain livelihood. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Directing movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing-movies/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Now I'm kind of established as a director, I much prefer directing to writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/now-i-m-kind-of-established-as-a-director-i-much-prefer-directing-to/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [I definitely prefer directing, hands down. I'm a lazy writer and it wasn't until I got into directing that I now have a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coley-sohn/i-definitely-prefer-directing-hands-down-i-m-a-lazy-writer-and-it/) [Coley Sohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coley-sohn/) > [I prefer directing to producing as it is far more satisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikramaditya-motwane/i-prefer-directing-to-producing-as-it-is-far-more-satisfying/) [Vikramaditya Motwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikramaditya-motwane/) > [I prefer directing to acting. There is huge freedom that comes from being behind the camera. It brings a lot of responsibilities as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-prefer-directing-to-acting-there-is-huge-freedom-that-comes-from-2/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [I prefer directing to acting. There is huge freedom that comes from being behind the camera. It brings a lot of responsibilities as well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-prefer-directing-to-acting-there-is-huge-freedom-that-comes-from/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [I had a bad experience on Ned Kelly, which I'd written the screenplay for. I thought: "Well Jesus, if these are the type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-mcdonagh/i-had-a-bad-experience-on-ned-kelly-which-i-d-written-the-screenplay/) [John Michael McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-mcdonagh/) > [To me, directing movies is just that. It's a need to question myself and set the things that disturb me on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-luna/to-me-directing-movies-is-just-that-it-s-a-need-to-question-myself/) [Diego Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-luna/) > [After directing movies, I respect any director in this world, because making a movie as a director is tons and tons of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordi-molla/after-directing-movies-i-respect-any-director-in-this-world-because/) [Jordi Molla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordi-molla/) > [I think every movie is its own little world, and a director certainly sets the tone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/i-think-every-movie-is-its-own-little-world-and-a-director-certainly/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [I never saw myself as a director. It's certainly a second language but making movies for 40 years, you pick stuff up. However, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/i-never-saw-myself-as-a-director-it-s-certainly-a-second-language-but/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-can-t-change-my-gender-and-i-refuse-to-stop-making-movies/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [I think that I get different kinds of joy out of directing a film and acting, and it's sort of necessary to just be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-polley/i-think-that-i-get-different-kinds-of-joy-out-of-directing-a-film-and/) [Sarah Polley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-polley/) > [Given a choice, I prefer directing a play to a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/given-a-choice-i-prefer-directing-a-play-to-a-film/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [The timing for directing is usually because it takes that long to develop a piece and then do pre-production and then post-production. It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-timing-for-directing-is-usually-because-it-takes-that-long-to/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [As an actor and director, you have to take risks, even though I don't like saying that word. You can make a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dujardin/as-an-actor-and-director-you-have-to-take-risks-even-though-i-don-t/) [Jean Dujardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dujardin/) ## More by Sean Penn > [A SWAT team surrounded my house and came in every door. But it happened because on the day that we split up, Madonna developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/a-swat-team-surrounded-my-house-and-came-in-every-door-but-it/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [The advice you give to young directors for sure is to go out and become some version of a successful movie actor. Do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/the-advice-you-give-to-young-directors-for-sure-is-to-go-out-and/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [A clearer and more conventional narrative would have helped the film without, in my opinion, lessening its beauty and its impact. Frankly, I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/a-clearer-and-more-conventional-narrative-would-have-helped-the-film/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I think that people like the Howard Sterns, the Bill O'Reillys and to a lesser degree the bin Ladens of the world are making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-think-that-people-like-the-howard-sterns-the-bill-o-reillys-and-to/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [That on a romantic level, if you feel it about somebody and it's pure, it means that they do too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/that-on-a-romantic-level-if-you-feel-it-about-somebody-and-it-s-pure/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [In between, I go broke because I seem to do movies where you're not paid a lot as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/in-between-i-go-broke-because-i-seem-to-do-movies-where-you-re-not/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [It has nothing to do with the emotional demands of a role; I've done comedies that are as draining to me as any drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/it-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-emotional-demands-of-a-role-i-ve-done/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Marriage ain't easy, but it's great most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/marriage-ain-t-easy-but-it-s-great-most-of-the-time/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Well, look at all of these summer blockbusters. You can't help but laugh a little, because you've already seen a lot of these movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/well-look-at-all-of-these-summer-blockbusters-you-can-t-help-but/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I don't see myself as a different guy than I was ten years ago. I don't have aspirations to be. It's really about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-different-guy-than-i-was-ten-years-ago-i-don/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Well, the kind of central question: "Do you want to live - and I don't mean stay alive - do you want to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/well-the-kind-of-central-question-do-you-want-to-live-and-i-don-t/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Haiti, like any place, has its security problems; it has a great challenge in terms of establishing a kind of globally acceptable rule of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/haiti-like-any-place-has-its-security-problems-it-has-a-great/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I'm a huge Woody Allen fan. Good movie, bad movie, it doesn't matter - I just like his movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-m-a-huge-woody-allen-fan-good-movie-bad-movie-it-doesn-t-matter-i/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [Sacrificing American soldiers or innocent civilians in an unprecedented preemptive attack on a separate sovereign nation may well prove itself a most temporary medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/sacrificing-american-soldiers-or-innocent-civilians-in-an/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [There is no shame in my saying that we all want to be loved by someone. As I look back over my life in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/there-is-no-shame-in-my-saying-that-we-all-want-to-be-loved-by/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) [Explore all 142 Sean Penn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [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/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [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/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can make a better living as an actor than I can as a director. Though I certainly would prefer to be directing movies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sean Penn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-than-i-can-as-a-director/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-than-i-can-as-a-director/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/sean-penn-3005_actors_i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-t_2121356.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can make a better living as an actor than I can as a director. Though I certainly would prefer to be…” — Sean Penn", "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": "Sean Penn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can make a better living...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-than-i-can-as-a-director/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-can-make-a-better-living-as-an-actor-than-i-can-as-a-director/#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 } } ] } ```