--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I couldn't get roles as bad guys. They…" description: "\"I couldn't get roles as bad guys. They could see John Travolta as a gangster but not me, really. But, you know, that's just how things are.\" — Sinbad" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/sinbad-15610_bad_i-couldn-t-get-roles-as-bad-guys-they-co_2652607.jpg" --- # I couldn't get roles as bad guys. They could see John… ![“I couldn't get roles as bad guys. They could see John Travolta as a gangster but not me, really. But, you know, that's just how things are.” quote by Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/sinbad-15610_bad_i-couldn-t-get-roles-as-bad-guys-they-co_2652607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/sinbad-15610_bad_i-couldn-t-get-roles-as-bad-guys-they-co_2652607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/sinbad-15610_bad_i-couldn-t-get-roles-as-bad-guys-they-co_2652607.jpg) > “I couldn't get roles as bad guys. They could see John Travolta as a gangster but not me, really. But, you know, that's just how things are.” [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The actor feels typecast as a hero, unable to secure villain roles despite others seeing him differently. **In simple terms:** Typecasting limits acting opportunities. Key Takeaway Break stereotypes by showcasing range. Themes career typecasting film Mood determined frustrated Type career advice When to use this quote - auditions - networking - skill diversification - public image Key Concepts industry bias personal branding Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to diversify roles? - How can you market your versatility? A Different Perspective Industry may resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Gangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gangster/) [Gangster Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gangster-really-2350604/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-travolta-867737/) [Roles Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles-bad-644419/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Travolta Gangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travolta-gangster-2362164/) ## Related quotes > [It's funny how the ruthless, murderous gangster has really been romanticized by the media. I mean, I grew up watching the 'Godfathers' and 'Scarface,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-satine/it-s-funny-how-the-ruthless-murderous-gangster-has-really-been/) [Elena Satine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-satine/) > [Jay Prince is a real gangster. He ain't hiding behind a desk talking. He is the true living definition of what a gangster is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarface/jay-prince-is-a-real-gangster-he-ain-t-hiding-behind-a-desk-talking/) [Scarface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarface/) > [I don't think I avoided being type cast, because I do sometimes get similar roles. It is not a bad thing because we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-bell-calloway/i-don-t-think-i-avoided-being-type-cast-because-i-do-sometimes-get/) [Vanessa Bell Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-bell-calloway/) > [If you have a meaty part to play, I don't see the harm in being part of multi-starrers. Moreover, I will be happy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/if-you-have-a-meaty-part-to-play-i-don-t-see-the-harm-in-being-part/) [Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/) > [That transition from child to adult actor is so incredibly elusive. The roles that were coming to me as a young adult were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-earle-haley/that-transition-from-child-to-adult-actor-is-so-incredibly-elusive/) [Jackie Earle Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-earle-haley/) > [You know, actors say, 'There are no bad roles, there are only bad actors.' Well, comedians, because they're also writers, believe that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-seder/you-know-actors-say-there-are-no-bad-roles-there-are-only-bad-actors/) [Sam Seder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-seder/) > [In order to feel safer on his private jet, actor John Travolta has purchased a bomb-sniffing dog. Unfortunately for the actor, the dog came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/in-order-to-feel-safer-on-his-private-jet-actor-john-travolta-has/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [John Travolta is getting old, despite what his hair is trying to tell us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/john-travolta-is-getting-old-despite-what-his-hair-is-trying-to-tell/) [Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/) > [I did 'Lonely Hearts' with John Travolta and James Gandolfini. Talk about getting over your fears. These guys were amazing! Also, Cuba Gooding, Jr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-campbell/i-did-lonely-hearts-with-john-travolta-and-james-gandolfini-talk/) [Christa Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-campbell/) > [There was a time when television was sort of frowned upon among people who wanted to be serious artists. John Travolta kind of exploded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rasche/there-was-a-time-when-television-was-sort-of-frowned-upon-among/) [David Rasche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rasche/) > [I once sang 'Summer Nights,' from 'Grease,' at a bar in Melbourne with John Travolta, who's a good friend of mine. He looked cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/i-once-sang-summer-nights-from-grease-at-a-bar-in-melbourne-with-john/) [Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/) > [John Travolta, who said, My Saturday night fever was nothing compared to my Sunday morning rash. Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/john-travolta-who-said-my-saturday-night-fever-was-nothing-compared/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [You know, you grow up with the image of John Travolta being super cool - 'Saturday Night Fever,' Brian De Palma, handsome young god...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/you-know-you-grow-up-with-the-image-of-john-travolta-being-super-cool/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [Where's our Paul Newmans? Where's our Robert Redfords? We've got Jason Statham, who is great... blue collar and cool, which is fantastic. And we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/where-s-our-paul-newmans-where-s-our-robert-redfords-we-ve-got-jason/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [John Travolta said he sometimes lets his friends take control of his airplane even though they don't know what they're doing. Then Travolta said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/john-travolta-said-he-sometimes-lets-his-friends-take-control-of-his/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) ## More by Sinbad > [There is two different Donald Trumps. There is the Donald Trump of the '90s... Now you've got this other one. The post-dementia Donald Trump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/there-is-two-different-donald-trumps-there-is-the-donald-trump-of-the/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [You can be too pretty for comedy - man or woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/you-can-be-too-pretty-for-comedy-man-or-woman/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [I never should have done 'Celebrity Apprentice.' I didn't want to do it because I didn't want Donald Trump to say, 'You're fired.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/i-never-should-have-done-celebrity-apprentice-i-didn-t-want-to-do-it/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [Most entertainers start at a young age saying, 'I don't want to be normal. I don't want a regular job.'... I think that's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/most-entertainers-start-at-a-young-age-saying-i-don-t-want-to-be/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [Good barbecue has to fall off the bone when you grab it, and, to me, it's not pull-hard chewy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/good-barbecue-has-to-fall-off-the-bone-when-you-grab-it-and-to-me-it/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [Here's the thing about Apple, we complain and they give us more battery life. We complain and they'll give us more stuff. Everything's beta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/here-s-the-thing-about-apple-we-complain-and-they-give-us-more/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [I'm so tired of reading all the negativity about black fathers running away and no black men as role models in society. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/i-m-so-tired-of-reading-all-the-negativity-about-black-fathers/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [What holds you back in comedy is fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/what-holds-you-back-in-comedy-is-fear/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [Being in a smaller environment - sometimes I like that. As a comic, we start off in comedy clubs, and there are people right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/being-in-a-smaller-environment-sometimes-i-like-that-as-a-comic-we/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [I'm just a '70s freak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/i-m-just-a-70s-freak/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [I respect anyone who could take a stagecoach ride from the East Coast to the West. You had to be a very special kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/i-respect-anyone-who-could-take-a-stagecoach-ride-from-the-east-coast/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [I judged entertainers who worked county fairs at age 55 because they had to. Now I get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/i-judged-entertainers-who-worked-county-fairs-at-age-55-because-they/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [Being on a horse is one of my most natural places to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/being-on-a-horse-is-one-of-my-most-natural-places-to-be/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [My thing is this: You've got to talk about politics because it's out there. But I try to respect the fact that even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/my-thing-is-this-you-ve-got-to-talk-about-politics-because-it-s-out/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [Don't let people treat you like you're stupid. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/don-t-let-people-treat-you-like-you-re-stupid-if-it-sounds-too-good/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) [Explore all 42 Sinbad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) ## More Bad quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/) [Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/) > [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 7,973 Bad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I couldn't get roles as bad guys. They could see John Travolta as a gangster but not me, really. 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