"The business is a very tricky obstacle course, and you should be very clear about work begetting work. If you're not working, you're not interesting"
About this Quote
The sharpest turn is “be very clear about work begetting work.” It’s not motivational-poster optimism; it’s a warning about momentum. In entertainment, employment is proof of viability. A recent credit signals to casting directors, agents, and executives that someone else has already absorbed the risk of hiring you. The subtext is harshly practical: you are not just performing; you’re continuously reassuring the market that you’re still a good bet.
“If you’re not working, you’re not interesting” sounds cruel until you recognize it as industry logic rather than personal judgment. “Interesting” here means bankable, discussable, algorithm-friendly, easy to pitch in a room where attention is the only real currency. It also hints at how quickly absence gets misread as decline, and how “breaks” are a luxury unevenly distributed across class, connections, and caregiving realities.
Coming from an actress who’s moved through long-running TV ecosystems, the line lands as insider candor: the treadmill isn’t incidental to the career, it is the career. The intent is bracing clarity, not romance: keep moving, or the story moves on without you.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work Ethic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Rohm, Elisabeth. (2026, January 17). The business is a very tricky obstacle course, and you should be very clear about work begetting work. If you're not working, you're not interesting. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-business-is-a-very-tricky-obstacle-course-and-73053/
Chicago Style
Rohm, Elisabeth. "The business is a very tricky obstacle course, and you should be very clear about work begetting work. If you're not working, you're not interesting." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-business-is-a-very-tricky-obstacle-course-and-73053/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The business is a very tricky obstacle course, and you should be very clear about work begetting work. If you're not working, you're not interesting." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-business-is-a-very-tricky-obstacle-course-and-73053/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.












