--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't take characters home with me." description: "\"I don't take characters home with me.\" — Sissy Spacek" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png" --- # I don't take characters home with me. ![“I don't take characters home with me.” quote by Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png) > “I don't take characters home with me.” [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors should not let fictional characters intrude on personal life. **In simple terms:** Keep characters separate from self. Key Takeaway Maintain personal boundaries from roles. Themes psychology acting boundaries well‑being Mood reflective practical calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - theatre performances - film sets - post‑shoot debriefs - personal relationships - mental health care Key Concepts role immersion identity separation emotional health Questions to Reflect On - How do you detach after a role? - What strategies protect personal identity? A Different Perspective Blurring lines can cause distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-home-1989059/) [Don Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-characters-1911158/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) ## Related quotes > [You don't do characters that are the same as you, otherwise why bother to act?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/you-don-t-do-characters-that-are-the-same-as-you-otherwise-why-bother/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I don't think I'm an actor who takes their characters home with him. But I certainly do take the preparation home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/i-don-t-think-i-m-an-actor-who-takes-their-characters-home-with-him/) [Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/) > [If I took my characters home with me, half of my life would be a misery, I think. No, I tend to compartmentalize work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/if-i-took-my-characters-home-with-me-half-of-my-life-would-be-a/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) > [I do take my characters back home. In fact, I am the reel person in real life during the entire shoot. This affects me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/i-do-take-my-characters-back-home-in-fact-i-am-the-reel-person-in/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [There's something about Southern characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/there-s-something-about-southern-characters/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I like looking at the characters. Seeing them always brings up some voice or attitude. I am much more visual, and that works so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-welker/i-like-looking-at-the-characters-seeing-them-always-brings-up-some/) [Frank Welker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-welker/) > [I say characters who are strong and wrong just have an assuredness about them that you can't even wrap your head around, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ego-nwodim/i-say-characters-who-are-strong-and-wrong-just-have-an-assuredness/) [Ego Nwodim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ego-nwodim/) > [At the end of the day, if you don't identify with the main characters, no television show will work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiro-murai/at-the-end-of-the-day-if-you-don-t-identify-with-the-main-characters/) [Hiro Murai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiro-murai/) > [I think if you're too embroiled in the need to relate too closely to the character, then you start to judge the character for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-if-you-re-too-embroiled-in-the-need-to-relate-too-closely-to/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [You do get fond of your characters. Handing them on is like giving a child to a nanny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/you-do-get-fond-of-your-characters-handing-them-on-is-like-giving-a/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [I have played several characters that are crabby and cranky. I don't know if I'm just not a very well-developed human being or if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-have-played-several-characters-that-are-crabby-and-cranky-i-don-t/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) ## More by Sissy Spacek > [I'm not Meryl Streep. My God - she's the greatest actor that ever lived. It's sad that ordinary actors like me are compared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-m-not-meryl-streep-my-god-she-s-the-greatest-actor-that-ever-lived/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [One day, it just dawned on me that I'm from Texas, and that's what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/one-day-it-just-dawned-on-me-that-i-m-from-texas-and-that-s-what-i-am/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [Just about every town in Texas has a beauty pageant. Ours was called The Dogwood Fiesta. I was in one of those. I played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/just-about-every-town-in-texas-has-a-beauty-pageant-ours-was-called/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [Jingle taps on the majorette boots were an important part of a little girl growing up in the South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/jingle-taps-on-the-majorette-boots-were-an-important-part-of-a-little/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I feel like if I don't get a film and somebody else does, then that film never belonged to me. The ones I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-feel-like-if-i-don-t-get-a-film-and-somebody-else-does-then-that/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [There's something about Southern characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/there-s-something-about-southern-characters/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [Film is an amazing art form, but so is life. When your career and your life can work together, and one can support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/film-is-an-amazing-art-form-but-so-is-life-when-your-career-and-your/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [You get angry and frustrated wondering, 'Are there enough parts for women?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/you-get-angry-and-frustrated-wondering-are-there-enough-parts-for/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I studied homeopathy for years and years. Herbs and all kinds of acupuncture, acupressure, alternative medicine. I think it's just better to treat the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-studied-homeopathy-for-years-and-years-herbs-and-all-kinds-of/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [My roots allow me to let go of the fear of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/my-roots-allow-me-to-let-go-of-the-fear-of-failure/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I think that we all fantasize about that teeny tiny time in the film industry when women ruled, back in the '40s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-think-that-we-all-fantasize-about-that-teeny-tiny-time-in-the-film/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [Texas is just so rich with characters. Women who live alone in a little house on a thousand acres with nothing but cattle and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/texas-is-just-so-rich-with-characters-women-who-live-alone-in-a/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I think the movie business, you meet people, and you work intensely with them, and you have these relationships - there's an intimacy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-think-the-movie-business-you-meet-people-and-you-work-intensely/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [Music is my thing. In fact, that's what I wanted to do. I thought of myself as a musician. I had never thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/music-is-my-thing-in-fact-that-s-what-i-wanted-to-do-i-thought-of/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [The name Sissy came because my brothers called me that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/the-name-sissy-came-because-my-brothers-called-me-that/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) [Explore all 132 Sissy Spacek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [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/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [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/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't take characters home with me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sissy Spacek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/sissy-spacek-3393_character_i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me-301_3016274.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't take characters home with me.” — Sissy Spacek", "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": "Sissy Spacek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't take characters home with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-don-t-take-characters-home-with-me/#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 } } ] } ```