"I'm getting to the point where they see me as a good actor, rather than just a good guy who can act"
About this Quote
The intent is pragmatic and a little defiant. Chestnut isn't chasing praise; he's chasing permission - from casting directors, critics, even audiences - to be judged on range rather than vibe. The subtext is about typecasting and how it often disguises itself as affection. Hollywood loves an easily marketable identity, especially for actors who've built careers on steadiness and romantic or heroic credibility. That "good guy" label can become a soft constraint: it suggests safety, predictability, a narrow emotional bandwidth.
What makes the quote work is its quiet self-awareness. Chestnut doesn't reject being a "good guy"; he recognizes that it became his brand, and brands are sticky. The sentence is also about time. "Getting to the point" signals a long campaign of incremental roles, accumulated competence, and the slow recalibration of public perception. It's not a breakthrough moment so much as a hard-won reframing: let the work outrun the myth.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Chestnut, Morris. (2026, January 16). I'm getting to the point where they see me as a good actor, rather than just a good guy who can act. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-getting-to-the-point-where-they-see-me-as-a-115478/
Chicago Style
Chestnut, Morris. "I'm getting to the point where they see me as a good actor, rather than just a good guy who can act." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-getting-to-the-point-where-they-see-me-as-a-115478/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm getting to the point where they see me as a good actor, rather than just a good guy who can act." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-getting-to-the-point-where-they-see-me-as-a-115478/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.





