--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is scary for an actor when you get…" description: "\"It is scary for an actor when you get hired as a lead. No matter what the plot is, it is your job to do something interesting enough to make them want ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/tom-selleck-12016_actor_it-is-scary-for-an-actor-when-you-get-hi_205477.png" --- # It is scary for an actor when you get hired as a lead. No… ![“It is scary for an actor when you get hired as a lead. No matter what the plot is, it is your job to do something interesting enough to make them want to get inside the lead character's head.” quote by Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/tom-selleck-12016_actor_it-is-scary-for-an-actor-when-you-get-hi_205477.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/tom-selleck-12016_actor_it-is-scary-for-an-actor-when-you-get-hi_205477.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/tom-selleck-12016_actor_it-is-scary-for-an-actor-when-you-get-hi_205477.png) > “It is scary for an actor when you get hired as a lead. No matter what the plot is, it is your job to do something interesting enough to make them want to get inside the lead character's head.” [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) ## 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 must make a lead role compelling, regardless of story, by creating depth that draws the audience into the character’s mindset. **In simple terms:** Actors need to add depth to any lead role. Key Takeaway Focus on internal motivation and nuance. Themes acting character development audience engagement Mood determined creative Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - theatre auditions - film casting - character workshops - directorial guidance Key Concepts method acting psychology of performance Questions to Reflect On - How do you discover a character’s inner drive? - What techniques help you stay authentic on set? A Different Perspective Even a well‑written lead can feel flat without personal interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Think of it as the Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-bell/think-of-it-as-the-doorway-of-no-return-the-feeling-must-be-that-your/) [James Scott Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-bell/) > [As an actor, you get hired to repeat yourself. It wears you out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcgann/as-an-actor-you-get-hired-to-repeat-yourself-it-wears-you-out/) [Paul McGann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcgann/) > [I don't want to be 45 competing with 20-year-olds, running to go get Botox. I want to be an expressive actor hired for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debi-mazar/i-don-t-want-to-be-45-competing-with-20-year-olds-running-to-go-get/) [Debi Mazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debi-mazar/) > [If you're a 'character actor,' you get hired to play baddies a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mendelsohn/if-you-re-a-character-actor-you-get-hired-to-play-baddies-a-lot/) [Ben Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mendelsohn/) > [As an actor, you get hired for what you last did. And I guess it just becomes your choice or obligation to do different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-bateman/as-an-actor-you-get-hired-for-what-you-last-did-and-i-guess-it-just/) [Jason Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-bateman/) > [I'm just a hired actor who was hired for a particular job, but I think one of the joys of reading the script was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-northam/i-m-just-a-hired-actor-who-was-hired-for-a-particular-job-but-i-think/) [Jeremy Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-northam/) > [I think that when I'm an actor, I get hired, and you say jump three inches, I'll jump three inches. I just kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-think-that-when-i-m-an-actor-i-get-hired-and-you-say-jump-three/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [In 'Breaking Bad,' we have a lead character who definitely finds himself in a situation he would never have expected to find himself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-maclaren/in-breaking-bad-we-have-a-lead-character-who-definitely-finds-himself/) [Michelle MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-maclaren/) > [It's fun to get to play a lead character that goes all the way through and drives the storyline and makes the final discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-durance/it-s-fun-to-get-to-play-a-lead-character-that-goes-all-the-way/) [Erica Durance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-durance/) > [Let's put it this way, when I was casting, I cast Viggo first and then found someone who could play his wife, rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/let-s-put-it-this-way-when-i-was-casting-i-cast-viggo-first-and-then/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [The lead character in 'Yennai Arindhaal' is like an extension of the protagonists of 'Kaakha Kaakha' and 'Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautham-menon/the-lead-character-in-yennai-arindhaal-is-like-an-extension-of-the/) [Gautham Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautham-menon/) > [One thing that I love about 'Difficult People' is that Julie Klausner and our showrunner, Scott King, have written the lead character I play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/one-thing-that-i-love-about-difficult-people-is-that-julie-klausner/) [Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/) > [“If your novel seems to be dragging, one of the first places to look is at the heart of your lead character. Is he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-novel-seems-to-be-dragging-one-of-the-first-places-to-look-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So if your Story doesn’t change your lead character irrevocably from beginning to end, no one will deeply care about it. It may entertain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/so-if-your-story-doesn-t-change-your-lead-character-irrevocably-from/) [Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) ## More by Tom Selleck > [I realized I really liked the screen. I knew it was a challenge, but I wasn't afraid of risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-realized-i-really-liked-the-screen-i-knew-it-was-a-challenge-but-i/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [If a guy as good and decent with as much grace as Chuck Heston can stand up for an issue that I think is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/if-a-guy-as-good-and-decent-with-as-much-grace-as-chuck-heston-can/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I've never reacted well to other people telling me what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-ve-never-reacted-well-to-other-people-telling-me-what-to-do/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I had a strong, really good upbringing, not puritanical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-had-a-strong-really-good-upbringing-not-puritanical/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [My mustache gets so many questions he has his own agen now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/my-mustache-gets-so-many-questions-he-has-his-own-agen-now/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I guess after Dances With Wolves they probably tried some derivative westerns, and if they didn't work, they said the western is dead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-guess-after-dances-with-wolves-they-probably-tried-some-derivative/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I praise CBS for taking a risk, which is always the price you pay for opportunity. This is not standard movie of the week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-praise-cbs-for-taking-a-risk-which-is-always-the-price-you-pay-for/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I think of myself as an actor first, not a sex symbol. Do I think I'm sexy? No, that's someone else's judgment, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-think-of-myself-as-an-actor-first-not-a-sex-symbol-do-i-think-i-m/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [Im a registered independent with a lot of libertarian leanings,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/im-a-registered-independent-with-a-lot-of-libertarian-leanings/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [Good parts should always scare you a little bit, and good parts... you might not get advice to do them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/good-parts-should-always-scare-you-a-little-bit-and-good-parts-you/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [You know, there's so much imitation and so much pandering in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/you-know-there-s-so-much-imitation-and-so-much-pandering-in-hollywood/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I live a pretty simple life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-live-a-pretty-simple-life/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [I feel the other element of a western is the land, which is very important in this movie. I mean the land is another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-feel-the-other-element-of-a-western-is-the-land-which-is-very/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [Why westerns get segregated into a genre in Hollywood, I don't know... It's just good entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/why-westerns-get-segregated-into-a-genre-in-hollywood-i-don-t-know-it/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [Popularity is the pocket change of history. The true measure is courage. There will never be another Charlton Heston.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/popularity-is-the-pocket-change-of-history-the-true-measure-is/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) [Explore all 57 Tom Selleck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) ## 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": "It is scary for an actor when you get hired as a lead. 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