--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing that's very close in the…" description: "\"The thing that's very close in the process is writing and acting, not directing. Directing's very different.\" — Sean Penn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/sean-penn-3005_acting_the-thing-that-s-very-close-in-the-proce_2431323.png" --- # The thing that's very close in the process is writing and… ![“The thing that's very close in the process is writing and acting, not directing. Directing's very different.” quote by Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/sean-penn-3005_acting_the-thing-that-s-very-close-in-the-proce_2431323.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/sean-penn-3005_acting_the-thing-that-s-very-close-in-the-proce_2431323.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/sean-penn-3005_acting_the-thing-that-s-very-close-in-the-proce_2431323.png) > “The thing that's very close in the process is writing and acting, not directing. Directing's very different.” [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. Writing and acting are integral to the creative process, whereas directing is a separate role that oversees execution. **In simple terms:** Writing and acting differ from directing. Key Takeaway Recognize distinct creative responsibilities. Themes creativity collaboration role distinction Mood reflective insightful Type professional educational When to use this quote - film production - theatre rehearsals - creative workshops Key Concepts artistic process leadership Questions to Reflect On - How do directors shape performance without writing? - When should roles overlap? A Different Perspective Directors may still influence writing and acting, blurring lines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-directing-284613/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing/) [Directing Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing-different-284612/) [Directing Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing-directing-284614/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-acting-284615/) ## Related quotes > [I don't direct so that I can have an identity and so I can go on to CGI movies. I had a big identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-don-t-direct-so-that-i-can-have-an-identity-and-so-i-can-go-on-to/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Dude, writing, acting and directing are such easy jobs. But to do them all as awesomely as Zach Braff does, well that... that's something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/dude-writing-acting-and-directing-are-such-easy-jobs-but-to-do-them/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [For me, the real goal is to integrate. The thing that I'm most happy with is the fact that I've been able to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/for-me-the-real-goal-is-to-integrate-the-thing-that-i-m-most-happy/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [It would be a great vacation to act in a movie if I weren't directing it. But to do it while you're directing interferes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/it-would-be-a-great-vacation-to-act-in-a-movie-if-i-weren-t-directing/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [I did a good bit of episodic television directing, but directing a movie is so much more complicated. And there's so much more responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-bateman/i-did-a-good-bit-of-episodic-television-directing-but-directing-a/) [Jason Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-bateman/) > [I loved theater and went to Circle in the Square's post-graduate program for two years and studied acting and directing and I loved it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-maccallum/i-loved-theater-and-went-to-circle-in-the-square-s-post-graduate/) [Martha MacCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-maccallum/) > [I never really think of acting and directing as being separate; they are just different expressions of the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-never-really-think-of-acting-and-directing-as-being-separate-they/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I love acting, but directing and writing have always been just as important. I started to write so many things when I was even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-laurent/i-love-acting-but-directing-and-writing-have-always-been-just-as/) [Melanie Laurent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-laurent/) > [I learn a new thing every single day about acting, about directing, about producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wolfhard/i-learn-a-new-thing-every-single-day-about-acting-about-directing/) [Finn Wolfhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wolfhard/) > [I started working on how I would direct this a year before we started shooting "All We Had" and I was prepping, acting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/i-started-working-on-how-i-would-direct-this-a-year-before-we-started/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [When I was acting, I did not have any directorial plans in my mind then. But I did not enjoy acting as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/when-i-was-acting-i-did-not-have-any-directorial-plans-in-my-mind/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [Writing is close to acting. In directing, you control. Acting, you can't control how good you are, and you can't control how good you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-may/writing-is-close-to-acting-in-directing-you-control-acting-you-can-t/) [Elaine May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-may/) > [I personally don't prefer acting and directing in something because I don't have the same objectivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/i-personally-don-t-prefer-acting-and-directing-in-something-because-i/) [Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/) > [I started as a writer; I started writing when I was little. The acting and directing was an outgrowth of my desire to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-white/i-started-as-a-writer-i-started-writing-when-i-was-little-the-acting/) [Mike White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-white/) > [Acting and directing are two separate disciplines that rarely mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/acting-and-directing-are-two-separate-disciplines-that-rarely-mix/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) ## 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 Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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