--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any actor who tells you that he makes…" description: "\"Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.\" — Willem Dafoe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg" --- # Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely… ![“Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.” quote by Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg) > “Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.” [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Actors often think they control roles, but the industry dictates opportunities; agency is limited. **In simple terms:** Actors have limited control over work. Key Takeaway Accept the flow of opportunities. Themes career control industry Mood realistic reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - audition process - film casting - career planning Key Concepts determinism creative autonomy networking Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal effort with industry realities? - What strategies increase your visibility? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on personal choice can ignore systemic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ## Related quotes > [“Death makes its own choices. Has reasoning an order has a taste…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelo-tsanatelis/death-makes-its-own-choices-has-reasoning-an-order-has-a-taste/) [Angelo Tsanatelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelo-tsanatelis/) > [There's something about getting onstage in a play where the actor tells the story, beginning, middle, and end, the way they want to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-lowes/there-s-something-about-getting-onstage-in-a-play-where-the-actor/) [Katie Lowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-lowes/) > [I like approbation. Any actor who tells you they don't is lying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/i-like-approbation-any-actor-who-tells-you-they-don-t-is-lying/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [Any actor who tells you that they have become the people they play, unless they’re clearly diagnosed as a schizophrenic, is bullshitting you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/any-actor-who-tells-you-that-they-have-become-the-people-they-play/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [I get to do my own thing with music. I get to write the songs and sing the songs. As an actor, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-alexander/i-get-to-do-my-own-thing-with-music-i-get-to-write-the-songs-and-sing/) [Olly Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-alexander/) > [An actor that tells you that they have real choices between material is, for the most part, lying. There are very few people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walton-goggins/an-actor-that-tells-you-that-they-have-real-choices-between-material/) [Walton Goggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walton-goggins/) > [Going after a part in Hollywood is like being a gladiator in ancient Rome. When it comes down to getting a role, you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rhys-meyers/going-after-a-part-in-hollywood-is-like-being-a-gladiator-in-ancient/) [Jonathan Rhys Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rhys-meyers/) > [To write fiction is to think that you're doing it wrong - that your work habits are inhibiting you; that you've chosen the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-dolnick/to-write-fiction-is-to-think-that-you-re-doing-it-wrong-that-your/) [Ben Dolnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-dolnick/) > [All men, if they work not as in the great taskmaster's eye, will work wrong, and work unhappily for themselves and for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/all-men-if-they-work-not-as-in-the-great-taskmaster-s-eye-will-work/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [There is something wrong with a work of art if it can be understood by a policeman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/there-is-something-wrong-with-a-work-of-art-if-it-can-be-understood/) [Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/) > [“If you have a gift for something, it's wrong not to work at it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/if-you-have-a-gift-for-something-it-s-wrong-not-to-work-at-it/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [You'll never go wrong when you work with someone smarter than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/you-ll-never-go-wrong-when-you-work-with-someone-smarter-than-you/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [There are two ways, one is right; the other is wrong. If your work is only about right, then it is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/there-are-two-ways-one-is-right-the-other-is-wrong-if-your-work-is/) [George Washington Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington-carver/) > [Just as it is wrong to work on chess by studying only the first 10-15 moves, so it is wrong to play one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efim-geller/just-as-it-is-wrong-to-work-on-chess-by-studying-only-the-first-10-15/) [Efim Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efim-geller/) > [If we don't center the voices of marginalized people, we're doing the wrong work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarana-burke/if-we-don-t-center-the-voices-of-marginalized-people-we-re-doing-the/) [Tarana Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarana-burke/) ## More by Willem Dafoe > [I was doing community theater, and I was always interested in acting, but I was also interested in sports. I was interested in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-was-doing-community-theater-and-i-was-always-interested-in-acting/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I knew very little about 'Spider-Man'. I grew up more in the 'Superman' generation. 'Spider-Man' - I didn't know so much. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-knew-very-little-about-spider-man-i-grew-up-more-in-the-superman/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [When you have something to work with, then you fly with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/when-you-have-something-to-work-with-then-you-fly-with-it/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [When I was a kid I was very interested in the idea of the will, finding out what you're capable of. I liked those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-very-interested-in-the-idea-of-the-will/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [Film is an editor's medium. You can create very good raw material and they can make it horrible, or you can do not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/film-is-an-editor-s-medium-you-can-create-very-good-raw-material-and/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I'm more interested in talking about what I do. And I don't think people are interested in my personal life. I've never had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-m-more-interested-in-talking-about-what-i-do-and-i-don-t-think/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [ Mounting those red stairs \[in Cannes\] is something I've done with a very different intention many times. So it's interesting any time you witness… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/mounting-those-red-stairs-in-cannes-is-something-i-ve-done-with-a/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [In films you do a scene, you play around with it and unless you're doing a lot of reshooting, which no one has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/in-films-you-do-a-scene-you-play-around-with-it-and-unless-you-re/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [For every role, you have to always find a different way to approach it, one that's specific and suits what the key is. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/for-every-role-you-have-to-always-find-a-different-way-to-approach-it/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [Celebrity is okay as long as you know it's not about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/celebrity-is-okay-as-long-as-you-know-it-s-not-about-you/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [All the time, as an actor, you want to be asking what's next and where things are going. If you're not asking those questions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/all-the-time-as-an-actor-you-want-to-be-asking-what-s-next-and-where/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I'm learning in my old age that the only thing you can do to keep your sanity is to stay in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-m-learning-in-my-old-age-that-the-only-thing-you-can-do-to-keep/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I was watching 'Wild at Heart,' and I can honestly say I did nothing for that apart from show up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-was-watching-wild-at-heart-and-i-can-honestly-say-i-did-nothing-for/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [Truth is, generally I like film festivals; somewhere at some level there's an exchange of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/truth-is-generally-i-like-film-festivals-somewhere-at-some-level/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I don't think people are interested in my personal life. I've never had a Hollywood life. I've always been a worker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-don-t-think-people-are-interested-in-my-personal-life-i-ve-never/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) [Explore all 110 Willem Dafoe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) ## 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": "Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willem Dafoe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-choices-absolutely-is-wrong-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-choices-absolutely-is-wrong-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c50/willem-dafoe-4486_actor_any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-ch_804617.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any actor who tells you that he makes choices, absolutely, is wrong. You find work and work finds you.” — Willem Dafoe", "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": "Willem Dafoe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Any actor who tells you that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-choices-absolutely-is-wrong-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/any-actor-who-tells-you-that-he-makes-choices-absolutely-is-wrong-you/#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 } } ] } ```