Education Quote by Rene Auberjonois

Acting gets romanticized as talent, charisma, maybe a little madness. Rene Auberjonois cuts through that fog with a workman’s ethic: “If you do your job properly you usually learn a lot from any role you do.” The key word is “properly.” He’s not talking about inspiration striking on set; he’s talking about craft, process, and accountability. Do the job, and the job pays you back.

The subtext is almost anti-celebrity. Auberjonois spent a career toggling between theater rigor and screen eclecticism, from Broadway to character parts that demanded technique more than spotlight. In that ecosystem, “role” isn’t just a chance to be seen; it’s an assignment with research attached. Properly done means you chase the character’s logic, not your own branding. You listen harder, move with intention, learn accents, histories, rhythms, how power sits in a posture, how fear leaks into a joke. Even a “small” part becomes an apprenticeship if you treat it like one.

There’s also a gentle rebuke to the actor-as-victim narrative. The line implies agency: you don’t need the perfect role to grow; you need discipline. That idea lands especially well in a culture obsessed with big swings and “dream projects.” Auberjonois is pointing to a quieter truth: range isn’t a gift you discover, it’s a habit you practice. Any role can teach you something, but only if you show up like it matters.