--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an…" description: "\"At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an accident.\" — Sterling Hayden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png" --- # At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an accident. ![“At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an accident.” quote by Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png) > “At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an accident.” [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An actor acknowledges that his career is often accidental, shaped by chance rather than intention. **In simple terms:** Acting can be a product of luck. Key Takeaway Embrace unpredictability in creative pursuits. Themes career chance self-awareness Mood reflective philosophical Type inspirational cautionary When to use this quote - audition processes - career planning - creative risk-taking - industry networking Key Concepts fate industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does one prepare for an unpredictable industry? - What role does intention play in artistic success? A Different Perspective Reliance on chance can undermine agency and preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-accident-1095172/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-actor-952650/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Me being an actor was an accident, and not something I wanted to do, because I knew what happened eventually. Yeah, maybe you'd get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/me-being-an-actor-was-an-accident-and-not-something-i-wanted-to-do/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I am a flirt: I have no heart: I have an actor's nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-turgenev/i-am-a-flirt-i-have-no-heart-i-have-an-actor-s-nature/) [Ivan Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-turgenev/) > [Empathy is at the heart of the actor's art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/empathy-is-at-the-heart-of-the-actor-s-art/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I became an actor by accident. I suppose I figured since I was in musical comedy from the time I was a teenager, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-became-an-actor-by-accident-i-suppose-i-figured-since-i-was-in/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I became an actor by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-became-an-actor-by-accident/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I became an actor by accident, not by design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lipton/i-became-an-actor-by-accident-not-by-design/) [James Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lipton/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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 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/) > [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/) ## More by Sterling Hayden > [“The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked with dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/the-dreams-of-youth-grow-dim-where-they-lie-caked-with-dust-on-the/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [A sailing ship is no democracy; you don't caucus a crew as to where you'll go anymore than you inquire when they'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/a-sailing-ship-is-no-democracy-you-don-t-caucus-a-crew-as-to-where/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I think my opinion of Hollywood must stem from my own, philosophy as a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-think-my-opinion-of-hollywood-must-stem-from-my-own-philosophy-as-a/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [There's nothing wrong with being an actor, if that's what a man wants. But there's everything wrong with achieving an exalted status, simply because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-being-an-actor-if-that-s-what-a-man-wants/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/to-be-truly-challenging-a-voyage-like-a-life-must-rest-on-a-firm/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [Once I tried to do Jack London's 'Sea Wolf' as a picture. I wanted to film most of the scenes at sea but ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/once-i-tried-to-do-jack-london-s-sea-wolf-as-a-picture-i-wanted-to/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I realize now that it is a serious business requiring honest, hard work. The first time Hollywood was served up to me on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-realize-now-that-it-is-a-serious-business-requiring-honest-hard/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I live and work for the pure enjoyment of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-live-and-work-for-the-pure-enjoyment-of-being-alive/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [Normality is boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/normality-is-boring/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I feel sometimes as though I've never grown up. And that's great, because it means there are still possibilities. Nothing's free. You pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-feel-sometimes-as-though-i-ve-never-grown-up-and-that-s-great/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I am an expert in loneliness and have wandered around a great deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-am-an-expert-in-loneliness-and-have-wandered-around-a-great-deal/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [“To be truly challenging, a voyage,like a life,must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/to-be-truly-challenging-a-voyage-like-a-life-must-rest-on-a-firm-2/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I've always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can't afford it. What these men can't afford is not to go. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-ve-always-wanted-to-sail-to-the-south-seas-but-i-can-t-afford-it/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [I don't think I'll have to kill her. Just slap that pretty face into hamburger meat, that's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/i-don-t-think-i-ll-have-to-kill-her-just-slap-that-pretty-face-into/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [There's nothing wrong with being an actor, if that's what a man wants. But there's everything wrong with achieving an exalted status simply because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-being-an-actor-if-that-s-what-a-man-wants-2/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) [Explore all 61 Sterling Hayden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) ## More Accident quotes > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/) [Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/) > [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an accident.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sterling Hayden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-accident/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accident" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-accident/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/sterling-hayden-11137_accident_at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-acciden_2552099.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At heart, I'm not an actor, I'm an accident.” — Sterling Hayden", "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": "Sterling Hayden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At heart, I'm not an actor,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-accident/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/at-heart-i-m-not-an-actor-i-m-an-accident/#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 } } ] } ```