"Prior to that I produced a couple of TV movies for CBS, but the truth of the matter is that I burned out for a couple of years. I didn't do anything for a while, apart from taking up golf, for which I got a four handicap"
About this Quote
The intent is plain: to normalize a fallow period without sounding fragile. Instead of a melodramatic collapse, Gerard offers a pragmatic retreat. “I didn’t do anything for a while” is both defensive and freeing, a refusal to perform productivity for the audience. The subtext is that Hollywood’s churn can hollow you out even when you’re “working,” and that stepping away isn’t failure so much as self-preservation.
Then comes the sly pivot: golf. Not just golf, but a four handicap - a detail so concrete it functions as proof of life. It’s also a status marker, a quiet reminder that his time off wasn’t spent in chaos; it was spent mastering something controlled, measurable, and socially legible. Golf becomes therapy without the stigma, ambition without the audition.
Context matters: Gerard is forever tethered to the boom-and-bust ecology of TV fame, where roles peak, opportunities thin, and reinvention is expected on demand. The humor keeps the admission from turning into a cautionary tale. He’s not begging for sympathy; he’s signaling resilience, and maybe a little defiance: if the machine burns you out, you can still come back with better swing mechanics than your agents.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work-Life Balance |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gerard, Gil. (2026, January 17). Prior to that I produced a couple of TV movies for CBS, but the truth of the matter is that I burned out for a couple of years. I didn't do anything for a while, apart from taking up golf, for which I got a four handicap. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/prior-to-that-i-produced-a-couple-of-tv-movies-54309/
Chicago Style
Gerard, Gil. "Prior to that I produced a couple of TV movies for CBS, but the truth of the matter is that I burned out for a couple of years. I didn't do anything for a while, apart from taking up golf, for which I got a four handicap." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/prior-to-that-i-produced-a-couple-of-tv-movies-54309/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Prior to that I produced a couple of TV movies for CBS, but the truth of the matter is that I burned out for a couple of years. I didn't do anything for a while, apart from taking up golf, for which I got a four handicap." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/prior-to-that-i-produced-a-couple-of-tv-movies-54309/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

