--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I always wanted to be an actor…" description: "\"I think I always wanted to be an actor - sounds a bit boring, doesn't it? And I pretended once that I wanted to be a vet because one of the teachers as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/sophie-thompson-33222_actors_i-think-i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-s_2057187.jpg" --- # I think I always wanted to be an actor - sounds a bit… ![“I think I always wanted to be an actor - sounds a bit boring, doesn't it? And I pretended once that I wanted to be a vet because one of the teachers asked me and saying you want to be an actor sounds a little bit silly. And I do still feel a bit silly saying it. You feel a bit fraudulent.” quote by Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/sophie-thompson-33222_actors_i-think-i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-s_2057187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/sophie-thompson-33222_actors_i-think-i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-s_2057187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0b/sophie-thompson-33222_actors_i-think-i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actor-s_2057187.jpg) > “I think I always wanted to be an actor - sounds a bit boring, doesn't it? And I pretended once that I wanted to be a vet because one of the teachers asked me and saying you want to be an actor sounds a little bit silly. And I do still feel a bit silly saying it. You feel a bit fraudulent.” [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling pressure to conform leads to self‑doubt and a sense of fraudulence when expressing true ambitions **In simple terms:** Conforming creates self‑doubt Key Takeaway Embrace authentic goals despite perceived silliness Themes identity authenticity self‑esteem career choices Mood anxious reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career planning - personal counseling - creative pursuits - public speaking - peer feedback Key Concepts social pressure impostor syndrome self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe “silly” aspirations as valuable? - What steps help you own your true ambitions? A Different Perspective Fear of judgment can reinforce inauthentic behavior and limit growth ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Vets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vets/) ## Related quotes > [I'd like to be a working actor. It sounds really trite, but there really are no small parts, only small actors. And so as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/i-d-like-to-be-a-working-actor-it-sounds-really-trite-but-there/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [If I call myself an actor, it sounds like I'm trying to pass myself off as someone who went to drama school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/limmy/if-i-call-myself-an-actor-it-sounds-like-i-m-trying-to-pass-myself/) [Limmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/limmy/) > [There's this whole list of old personalities that I can act, as corny as that sounds, or as method actor as that sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-bixler-zavala/there-s-this-whole-list-of-old-personalities-that-i-can-act-as-corny/) [Cedric Bixler-Zavala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-bixler-zavala/) > [A worldly actor is a better actor. It sounds pretentious, but I think having these experiences can translate back into your work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-robinson/a-worldly-actor-is-a-better-actor-it-sounds-pretentious-but-i-think/) [Nick Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-robinson/) > [I never wanted to be an actor. I never want to be an actor. I want to be a movie star. The whole idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-gallo/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-actor-i-never-want-to-be-an-actor-i-want-to/) [Vincent Gallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-gallo/) > [My mom always wanted me to be an actor. And I started going to theater and going on auditions young. I only realized about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/my-mom-always-wanted-me-to-be-an-actor-and-i-started-going-to-theater-2/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [I have never pretended to be any kind of super-religious kind of man, but I feel very strongly that you can be funny without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-winters/i-have-never-pretended-to-be-any-kind-of-super-religious-kind-of-man/) [Jonathan Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-winters/) > [At some point we've all pretended to inject ourselves with our mechanical pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-some-point-we-ve-all-pretended-to-inject-ourselves-with-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Kasem is a legend, a guy I used to listen to growing up. And not only listen to, but pretended to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-seacrest/kasem-is-a-legend-a-guy-i-used-to-listen-to-growing-up-and-not-only/) [Ryan Seacrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-seacrest/) > [The Porsche was just a vehicle to get to another place. I used it to change people's perceptions of me. I had grown up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-grazer/the-porsche-was-just-a-vehicle-to-get-to-another-place-i-used-it-to/) [Brian Grazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-grazer/) > [Friendship was another illusion like love, though it did not reach the same mad heights. People pretended that they were friends, when the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-narayan/friendship-was-another-illusion-like-love-though-it-did-not-reach-the/) [R.K. Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-narayan/) > [“Closing her eyes, she pretended that this was before six months ago, before her life had gone to shit. Before she’d lost the love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-reus/closing-her-eyes-she-pretended-that-this-was-before-six-months-ago/) [Katie Reus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-reus/) > [I never really got there I just pretended that I had. What's the point of instruments? Words are a sawed off shotgun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radiohead/i-never-really-got-there-i-just-pretended-that-i-had-what-s-the-point/) [Radiohead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radiohead/) > ['Memorial Day' is about 'spring break' girls-gone-wild culture which is the seedy underbelly of our American Puritanism, the inverse side of the coin. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/memorial-day-is-about-spring-break-girls-gone-wild-culture-which-is/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [“She pretended not to notice the look of longing in his eyes. It didn’t mean anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-brien/she-pretended-not-to-notice-the-look-of-longing-in-his-eyes-it-didn-t/) Kevin O'Brien ## More by Sophie Thompson > [Martin Sheen is my pinup! And Allison Janney, oh my God. They're brilliant actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/martin-sheen-is-my-pinup-and-allison-janney-oh-my-god-they-re/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [As an actor you get categorized by other people, but it's not like I arrange myself into comedy mode or serious mode. If it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/as-an-actor-you-get-categorized-by-other-people-but-it-s-not-like-i/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I am an opera virgin; I'd far prefer to see a musical such as 'Guys and Dolls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-am-an-opera-virgin-i-d-far-prefer-to-see-a-musical-such-as-guys-and/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [Wyndham's is a beautiful old theatre. The sensation on the stage isn't as different as you might think from the Royal Court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/wyndham-s-is-a-beautiful-old-theatre-the-sensation-on-the-stage-isn-t/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I haven't played Hedda Gabler yet, but maybe if I did I might find the funny bits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-haven-t-played-hedda-gabler-yet-but-maybe-if-i-did-i-might-find-the/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I like to sing along to Annie Lennox and pretend to be as sassy as her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-like-to-sing-along-to-annie-lennox-and-pretend-to-be-as-sassy-as-her/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [People say there's a book in everyone but I'm not sure there is. There might be a pamphlet in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/people-say-there-s-a-book-in-everyone-but-i-m-not-sure-there-is-there/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I wonder what it was like to be an actor years ago. We're so respected now and I don't think it does us any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-wonder-what-it-was-like-to-be-an-actor-years-ago-we-re-so-respected/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I look back at that time fondly. It's something I never thought I'd get the chance to do, be in a soap. Working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-look-back-at-that-time-fondly-it-s-something-i-never-thought-i-d/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I took my children to see 'Son of Rambow,' about two boys who make a home movie with a video camera. When you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-took-my-children-to-see-son-of-rambow-about-two-boys-who-make-a/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I've just finished reading a book about the brilliant Margaret Rutherford. She wasn't a beauty, but inside she was absolutely blazing and passionate about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-ve-just-finished-reading-a-book-about-the-brilliant-margaret/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I must confess that I'm not a great reader. At the moment I'm reading my son's 'Stig of the Dump' by Clive King and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-must-confess-that-i-m-not-a-great-reader-at-the-moment-i-m-reading/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [I'm not a natural reader but there are books I'll read and read again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/i-m-not-a-natural-reader-but-there-are-books-i-ll-read-and-read-again/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) > [Awards are always a pleasant surprise. They are the candy-floss parts of our job - a lovely added extra to attract people's attention. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thompson/awards-are-always-a-pleasant-surprise-they-are-the-candy-floss-parts/) [Sophie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) [Explore all 15 Sophie Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thompson/) ## 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": "I think I always wanted to be an actor - sounds a bit boring, doesn't it? And I pretended once that I wanted to be a vet because one of the teachers asked me and saying you want to be an actor sounds a little bit silly. And I do still feel a bit silly saying it. 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