--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was using me. When he cast me in…" description: "\"He was using me. When he cast me in Sideways I was nothing but a vessel.\" — Thomas Haden Church" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/thomas-haden-church-12271_cast_he-was-using-me-when-he-cast-me-in-sidew_2714727.png" --- # He was using me. When he cast me in Sideways I was nothing… ![“He was using me. When he cast me in Sideways I was nothing but a vessel.” quote by Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/thomas-haden-church-12271_cast_he-was-using-me-when-he-cast-me-in-sidew_2714727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/thomas-haden-church-12271_cast_he-was-using-me-when-he-cast-me-in-sidew_2714727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/thomas-haden-church-12271_cast_he-was-using-me-when-he-cast-me-in-sidew_2714727.png) > “He was using me. When he cast me in Sideways I was nothing but a vessel.” [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors can feel reduced to tools for a director’s vision, losing personal agency and becoming mere vessels for the story. **In simple terms:** Actors may become objects serving a director’s purpose. Key Takeaway Seek roles that respect your creative input. Themes film artistry agency exploitation Mood candid insightful Type industry personal When to use this quote - audition process - directorial collaboration - career decisions - contract negotiations Key Concepts creative control power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt your voice was ignored in a project? - How can you negotiate creative autonomy? A Different Perspective Not all collaborations are exploitative; mutual respect is possible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) ## Related quotes > [Between Clive Owen winning at the Golden Globes and the British Academy announcing its nominations, of which Sideways received only one, I'm feeling pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/between-clive-owen-winning-at-the-golden-globes-and-the-british/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [“I’m going to go up on my way down. I’m just a sideways sort of person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-going-to-go-up-on-my-way-down-i-m-just-a-sideways-sort-of-person/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I'm an artist first and foremost. So things are gonna go up and down and sideways and whichever way all through life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-williams/i-m-an-artist-first-and-foremost-so-things-are-gonna-go-up-and-down/) [Lucinda Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-williams/) > [Suddenly Po shot into the courtyard from the north vestibule whooping. Katsa, seeing him, broke into a run and they tore at each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/suddenly-po-shot-into-the-courtyard-from-the-north-vestibule-whooping/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [If you ever look sideways at another man or attempt to refuse me I shall beat you. Got it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-way/if-you-ever-look-sideways-at-another-man-or-attempt-to-refuse-me-i/) [Margaret Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-way/) > [Samuel! Are you alright?" A vision of Samuel being brained by the falling bars rose up before Simon's eyes. Samuel's voice rose to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/samuel-are-you-alright-a-vision-of-samuel-being-brained-by-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [And when Jace was ten years old, Valentine killed him. Michael, I mean." "That sounds like something he would do," said Luke. His tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/and-when-jace-was-ten-years-old-valentine-killed-him-michael-i-mean/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I used to be able to do the Chinese splits, where you open your legs sideways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-minogue/i-used-to-be-able-to-do-the-chinese-splits-where-you-open-your-legs/) [Kylie Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-minogue/) > [Neurotics always feel as though they were going way up or way down, which is odd in people going sideways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/neurotics-always-feel-as-though-they-were-going-way-up-or-way-down/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [Trading is a waiting game. You sit, you wait, and you make a lot of money all at once. Profits come in bunches. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-covel/trading-is-a-waiting-game-you-sit-you-wait-and-you-make-a-lot-of/) Michael Covel > [The intimate and the infinite are tangled together in this incandescent book, lit by Aristotle’s bright spark of a daughter. Lucid even in nightmare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-endicott/the-intimate-and-the-infinite-are-tangled-together-in-this/) [Marina Endicott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-endicott/) > [Strange priests are they who never straightly walk But all aslant through sideways passage stalk Who never seek their goals in forward lines But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-fiske/strange-priests-are-they-who-never-straightly-walk-but-all-aslant/) Willard Fiske > [Witihin seconds the headhunter had lost control of his car and it squealed, sliding sideways right into several other cars. Cool!' said the Gasman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/witihin-seconds-the-headhunter-had-lost-control-of-his-car-and-it/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [When you lose your parents, the sadness doesn't go away. It just changes. It hits you sideways sometimes instead of head-on. Like now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-lose-your-parents-the-sadness-doesn-t-go-away-it-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But what struck me was the book-madness of the place--books lay scattered across the unmade bed and the top of a battered-looking desk, books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-millhauser/but-what-struck-me-was-the-book-madness-of-the-place-books-lay/) [Steven Millhauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-millhauser/) ## More by Thomas Haden Church > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [Cows are a lot smarter across the board than bulls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/cows-are-a-lot-smarter-across-the-board-than-bulls/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [When I moved to L.A. in 1989, the very first thing I did was this horrific pilot called To Protect And Surf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/when-i-moved-to-l-a-in-1989-the-very-first-thing-i-did-was-this/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I've been an admirer of Helen Mirren for a long time. As I get older, I find myself admiring older women who have poise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/i-ve-been-an-admirer-of-helen-mirren-for-a-long-time-as-i-get-older-i/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I certainly was an actor and then I drifted more towards writing and directing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/i-certainly-was-an-actor-and-then-i-drifted-more-towards-writing-and/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [Sight is about what lies right in front of us. Vision is what lies ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/sight-is-about-what-lies-right-in-front-of-us-vision-is-what-lies/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I made a comfortable living for several years. I invested, and I protected myself, so I enjoy that freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/i-made-a-comfortable-living-for-several-years-i-invested-and-i/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [When I landed in L.A. in early '89, William Morris decided to take me on to see if I could get any jobs. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/when-i-landed-in-l-a-in-early-89-william-morris-decided-to-take-me-on/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I believe in singularity in relationships because you've got to have trust on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/i-believe-in-singularity-in-relationships-because-you-ve-got-to-have/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [Look at the Native American culture. They revere the elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/look-at-the-native-american-culture-they-revere-the-elders/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I have a healthy sense of vanity. I like to look good for myself, which is what a lot of women say. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/i-have-a-healthy-sense-of-vanity-i-like-to-look-good-for-myself-which/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [And there have certainly been movies I wanted to be in and milestones I wanted to surpass that did not happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/and-there-have-certainly-been-movies-i-wanted-to-be-in-and-milestones/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [Last summer when we were preparing for the movie, I actually kind of wanted to stay fairly uninformed about it. As we went through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/last-summer-when-we-were-preparing-for-the-movie-i-actually-kind-of/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [The fact that I haven't been married might qualify me as belonging in the nutty category to a lot of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/the-fact-that-i-haven-t-been-married-might-qualify-me-as-belonging-in/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [I did a series called Ned and Stacey for two years for Fox back in the 90s. I was writer on it as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/i-did-a-series-called-ned-and-stacey-for-two-years-for-fox-back-in/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) [Explore all 55 Thomas Haden Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) ## More Cast quotes > [So, in the last year, the whole cast sued for release from our contracts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/so-in-the-last-year-the-whole-cast-sued-for-release-from-our-contracts/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-bullet-that-will-kill-me-is-not-yet-cast/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [A film is a chain of very difficult decisions, and I think one of them is to choose an accurate cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-camara/a-film-is-a-chain-of-very-difficult-decisions-and-i-think-one-of-them/) [Javier Camara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-camara/) > [I don't know what it is about me that gets cast in specific roles. Some people would say, 'You're just a pretty face,' but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-park/i-don-t-know-what-it-is-about-me-that-gets-cast-in-specific-roles/) [Grace Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-park/) > [I starred in a Broadway play that was Sidney Poitier's first directing job and the cast was Lou Gossett, Cicely Tyson, Diana Ladd and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/i-starred-in-a-broadway-play-that-was-sidney-poitier-s-first/) [David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/) > [“Don’t miss CAST IN HONOR!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sagara/don-t-miss-cast-in-honor/) [Michelle Sagara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sagara/) > [Growing up as a singer, and a cast member, and now as an adult, a songwriter, I get the luxury of choosing the kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/growing-up-as-a-singer-and-a-cast-member-and-now-as-an-adult-a/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The cast of 'Parks & Rec' is just a group of unbelievably nice, humble, down to earth, hilarious friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/the-cast-of-parks-rec-is-just-a-group-of-unbelievably-nice-humble/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I think whenever you cast someone, someone's going to be critical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sanders/i-think-whenever-you-cast-someone-someone-s-going-to-be-critical/) [Rupert Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sanders/) > [My experience with 'Last Resort' is very different from most of the cast. While they are next to a mountain, I'm always within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessy-schram/my-experience-with-last-resort-is-very-different-from-most-of-the/) [Jessy Schram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessy-schram/) > [The religious imagery and fairytales that formed our shared cultural references have been replaced by the cult of celebrity. Marilyn is the sex goddess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jackson/the-religious-imagery-and-fairytales-that-formed-our-shared-cultural/) [Alison Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jackson/) > [I love playing Jim. I love working with this cast and the opportunity to come back and work with them again was just way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-biggs/i-love-playing-jim-i-love-working-with-this-cast-and-the-opportunity/) [Jason Biggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-biggs/) > [The stance I took was there is no room for racial bias anywhere in sports. I believe that was basically all I said about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-larkin/the-stance-i-took-was-there-is-no-room-for-racial-bias-anywhere-in/) [Barry Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-larkin/) > [What's interesting about Stephen Baldwin is that me and Dana Gould were originally cast for 'Bio-Dome' - but Pauly Shore and Baldwin ended up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harland-williams/what-s-interesting-about-stephen-baldwin-is-that-me-and-dana-gould/) [Harland Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harland-williams/) > [If you get the right cast, half your work is done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/if-you-get-the-right-cast-half-your-work-is-done/) [Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/) Browse all 562 Cast quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He was using me. 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