--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your job as an actor is to piece together…" description: "\"Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've learned in your training, or whatever you have experienced in your life, to piece together a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png" --- # Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've… ![“Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've learned in your training, or whatever you have experienced in your life, to piece together a person.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png) > “Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've learned in your training, or whatever you have experienced in your life, to piece together a person.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## 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 blend training and personal experience to create authentic characters. **In simple terms:** Acting combines study and life experience. Key Takeaway Use your own story to enrich performance. Themes acting authenticity craft Mood reflective inspired Type instructional motivational When to use this quote - auditions - theatre - film - improvisation Key Concepts method acting character building Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance technique with personal truth? - What boundaries protect you from overexposure? A Different Perspective May over-reliance on personal trauma limit versatility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) ## Related quotes > [I'm inspired by good work. Whether it is a great performance by another actor, a piece of art, or someone doing something altruistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mateus-ward/i-m-inspired-by-good-work-whether-it-is-a-great-performance-by/) [Mateus Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mateus-ward/) > [“I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hallowness, the futility of the white man with his gun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-stood-there-with-the-rifle-in-my-hands-that-i-first-grasped-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I have friends who have children, and they have told me how remarkable it is to have a new life that is a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/i-have-friends-who-have-children-and-they-have-told-me-how-remarkable/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [No sooner do we think we have assembled a comfortable life than we find a piece of ourselves that has no place to fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/no-sooner-do-we-think-we-have-assembled-a-comfortable-life-than-we/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [For some reason, no matter what happens in my life, I always seem to have a piece of my heart that says everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-gordon/for-some-reason-no-matter-what-happens-in-my-life-i-always-seem-to/) [Jeff Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-gordon/) > [Life is but a piece of dust in the grand spectrum of things. But it is all I'll ever need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hanson/life-is-but-a-piece-of-dust-in-the-grand-spectrum-of-things-but-it-is/) Michael Hanson > [Life is not a piece of cake, and it certainly is not for many of the people I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/life-is-not-a-piece-of-cake-and-it-certainly-is-not-for-many-of-the/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [“Life is not a piece of cake”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-davies/life-is-not-a-piece-of-cake/) Ian Davies > [A good man's life is all of a piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/a-good-man-s-life-is-all-of-a-piece/) [Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/) > [My life - it's a piece of work. And my work is a piece of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-michele/my-life-it-s-a-piece-of-work-and-my-work-is-a-piece-of-life/) [Alessandro Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-michele/) > [“Life is a piece of sh\*t, just roll with it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cricket/life-is-a-piece-of-sh-t-just-roll-with-it/) Cricket > [I did want to feel like life's all of one piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-did-want-to-feel-like-life-s-all-of-one-piece/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [For me, once you do a job as an actor then it's the director, producer and editor's job to decide what is best for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackky-bhagnani/for-me-once-you-do-a-job-as-an-actor-then-it-s-the-director-producer/) [Jackky Bhagnani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackky-bhagnani/) > [When you have to cast movies from a producer's standpoint - when you've been on the other side of casting sessions - you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-minghella/when-you-have-to-cast-movies-from-a-producer-s-standpoint-when-you-ve/) [Max Minghella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-minghella/) > [Some people suggested that I should try something else. It was a lot of things, but nothing really stood out for me. Nothing felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-kim/some-people-suggested-that-i-should-try-something-else-it-was-a-lot/) [Claudia Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-kim/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## 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": "Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've learned in your training, or whatever you have experienced in your life, to piece together a person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-together-whatever-you-ve-learned-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-together-whatever-you-ve-learned-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dc/viola-davis-1174_actor_your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-togethe_2251988.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've learned in your training, or whatever you have…” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Your job as an actor is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-together-whatever-you-ve-learned-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/your-job-as-an-actor-is-to-piece-together-whatever-you-ve-learned-in/#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 } } ] } ```