--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To see professional actors do my work, to…" description: "\"To see professional actors do my work, to take it seriously - that was the thing that made me think playwriting could actually be what I do. It's not a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg" --- # To see professional actors do my work, to take it… ![“To see professional actors do my work, to take it seriously - that was the thing that made me think playwriting could actually be what I do. It's not a profession that has some sort of clear career track, like, 'This is what you do to be a playwright.'” quote by Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg) > “To see professional actors do my work, to take it seriously - that was the thing that made me think playwriting could actually be what I do. It's not a profession that has some sort of clear career track, like, 'This is what you do to be a playwright.'” [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing that professional actors treat a script seriously convinced him that playwriting could be a viable career despite lacking a clear path. **In simple terms:** Seeing actors work seriously showed playwriting could be a real job. Key Takeaway Believe in your craft even without a defined roadmap. Themes creativity career confidence Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational career‑focused When to use this quote - writing workshops - theatre auditions - networking events - seeking mentorship Key Concepts artistic validation self‑belief Questions to Reflect On - How can you create a clear path for yourself? - What steps will you take to validate your work? A Different Perspective Success still depends on building connections and honing skill, not just inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Like Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-playwright-3514187/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Playwriting Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwriting-actually-3781108/) [Professional Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-actors-481597/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Think Playwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-playwriting-3781109/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I'm one of those lazy actors; I like to take what the playwright wrote and work with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-jones/i-m-one-of-those-lazy-actors-i-like-to-take-what-the-playwright-wrote/) [Cherry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-jones/) > [I'm on Twitter every single week. It's sort of like being a playwright standing in the back of the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-paige/i-m-on-twitter-every-single-week-it-s-sort-of-like-being-a-playwright/) [Peter Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-paige/) > [For working with non-professional actors, you have to have this particular desire to work with people who are reluctant to play in a movie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/for-working-with-non-professional-actors-you-have-to-have-this/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [You hear stories about directors using manipulation to get actors to do certain things, but I think when you're working with professional actors, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/you-hear-stories-about-directors-using-manipulation-to-get-actors-to/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [People think that the Italians invented neorealism, but actually, Humphrey Jennings did. He was revolutionary in using non-professional actors in his films, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/people-think-that-the-italians-invented-neorealism-but-actually/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [When I first came to America, I went into William Morris Endeavor for a meeting and I was like, "Yeah, I'm from Australia and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/when-i-first-came-to-america-i-went-into-william-morris-endeavor-for/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [Both my parents were professional actors, so I grew up in a household that had no real financial stability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/both-my-parents-were-professional-actors-so-i-grew-up-in-a-household/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Even in the early '90s, I was already starting to mix professional actors with non-actors. I always enjoyed working with non-professionals, because their performances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsai-ming-liang/even-in-the-early-90s-i-was-already-starting-to-mix-professional/) [Tsai Ming-liang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsai-ming-liang/) > [I've worked with non-professional actors, I've worked with movie stars, I've worked with kids, I've worked with older people, and I've found my job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-sachs/i-ve-worked-with-non-professional-actors-i-ve-worked-with-movie-stars/) [Ira Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-sachs/) > [I don't want to take shots at professional actors, because obviously the great ones are great. But I do think that given the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bujalski/i-don-t-want-to-take-shots-at-professional-actors-because-obviously/) [Andrew Bujalski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bujalski/) > [I think there are enough professional actors to fill in for me in my absence. I enjoyed it, but I can't imagine a role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/i-think-there-are-enough-professional-actors-to-fill-in-for-me-in-my/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [Professional 'actors' tend to overact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuthirakani/professional-actors-tend-to-overact/) [Samuthirakani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuthirakani/) > [Directors like Satyajit Ray, Rossellini, Bresson, Buñuel, Forman, Scorsese, and Spike Lee have used non-professional actors precisely in order that the people we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/directors-like-satyajit-ray-rossellini-bresson-bu-uel-forman-scorsese/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [When I was 13 years old, a professional theater company in my town needed a kid actor. I auditioned, and I got the part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/when-i-was-13-years-old-a-professional-theater-company-in-my-town/) [Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/) > [As professional actors, it's our job to entertain our audiences while setting benchmarks for ourselves as well, creatively and intellectually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hrithik-roshan/as-professional-actors-it-s-our-job-to-entertain-our-audiences-while/) [Hrithik Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hrithik-roshan/) ## More by Stephen Karam > [I've always viewed 'Sons of the Prophet' as the first part of a larger trilogy - not three plays dependent on each other but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-ve-always-viewed-sons-of-the-prophet-as-the-first-part-of-a-larger/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Until I have a family or a mortgage, I'm trying to keep my lifestyle simple and my apartment affordable so that I can continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/until-i-have-a-family-or-a-mortgage-i-m-trying-to-keep-my-lifestyle/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I worry that I will lose control over the projects I get to work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-worry-that-i-will-lose-control-over-the-projects-i-get-to-work-on/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I don't think I could write a good play if I was setting out to write about the death of the American middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-don-t-think-i-could-write-a-good-play-if-i-was-setting-out-to-write/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Under Todd Haimes' leadership, Roundabout created a black-box theater whose sole mission was to house premieres by writers who are just starting out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/under-todd-haimes-leadership-roundabout-created-a-black-box-theater/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I didn't quite fit in in any particular, specific way. I was a gay teenager who was into drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-didn-t-quite-fit-in-in-any-particular-specific-way-i-was-a-gay/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I'm still learning so much with every play I write. So I wrestle with word choice, rhythm in final drafts. I think you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-m-still-learning-so-much-with-every-play-i-write-so-i-wrestle-with/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I'm always very self-conscious and assume the way faith or religion might come up in my plays will seem very harsh to people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-m-always-very-self-conscious-and-assume-the-way-faith-or-religion/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [To be totally honest, I thought I would have a Broadway debut in the distant, distant future, maybe in my 60s or 70s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-be-totally-honest-i-thought-i-would-have-a-broadway-debut-in-the/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Coming home for me isn't, like, one family dinner. It's about am I gonna see 50 relatives, or am I gonna see 85?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/coming-home-for-me-isn-t-like-one-family-dinner-it-s-about-am-i-gonna/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [When you're the artsy, weirdo, introverted outsider growing up, you don't fit into your community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/when-you-re-the-artsy-weirdo-introverted-outsider-growing-up-you-don/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Writing plays for me is often an act of looking at basement-level fears in terms of where they come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/writing-plays-for-me-is-often-an-act-of-looking-at-basement-level/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I don't come from a family of artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-don-t-come-from-a-family-of-artists/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [ Suddenly you're at church and you hear someone pray, "For gays and lesbians, that they might realize their \[sins\]…" That's happening less and less… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/suddenly-you-re-at-church-and-you-hear-someone-pray-for-gays-and/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Janet Carroll and Robert Pine, Chris Pine's dad, were in my first play, and they were so astonishingly good, I felt it raised my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/janet-carroll-and-robert-pine-chris-pine-s-dad-were-in-my-first-play/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) [Explore all 68 Stephen Karam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) ## 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": "To see professional actors do my work, to take it seriously - that was the thing that made me think playwriting could actually be what I do. It's not a profession that has some sort of clear career track, like, 'This is what you do to be a playwright.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Karam" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to-take-it-seriously-that-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to-take-it-seriously-that-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/stephen-karam-10010_career_to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to_1227295.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To see professional actors do my work, to take it seriously - that was the thing that made me think…” — Stephen Karam", "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": "Stephen Karam", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To see professional actors do my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to-take-it-seriously-that-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-see-professional-actors-do-my-work-to-take-it-seriously-that-was/#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 } } ] } ```