Daily Inspiration Quote by Richard Dean Anderson

"There's editing, and scripts to read and edit, and casting, and all the elements of production that just sort of take up the normal downtime that you would have as an actor. So there's not a lot of that for me"

Richard Dean Anderson, Actor

About this Quote

Anderson’s real flex here isn’t fame or craft; it’s workload. He’s describing the unglamorous truth of being more than “just” an actor: the job doesn’t end when the camera cuts. By listing the nuts-and-bolts chores - editing, script passes, casting, production logistics - he quietly reframes what audiences imagine as an actor’s life (bursts of performance separated by leisurely “downtime”) into something closer to an always-on managerial grind.

The wording does a lot of work. “Just sort of take up” is a deliberately casual phrase for what is, in effect, a takeover of personal time. It’s a soft complaint that avoids self-pity: he isn’t dramatizing exhaustion, he’s normalizing it. That’s classic actor-producer rhetoric, signaling competence and control while letting the strain leak through the cracks. The repetition of “and… and… and…” mimics the pile-on of responsibilities, making the sentence feel like it’s accumulating weight in real time.

Context matters: Anderson is best known for long-running, production-heavy television, where a lead actor can become a de facto creative engine - especially on shows with demanding schedules and fan expectations. The subtext is a polite correction to the romantic idea of acting as intermittent labor. He’s telling you he’s embedded in the machine, not simply starring in it. The final line, “So there’s not a lot of that for me,” lands as both a humblebrag and a boundary marker: success, in this ecosystem, often means losing the very breathing room people assume it grants.

Quote Details

Topic	Work-Life Balance
Source	Help us find the source
Cite

More Quotes by Richard Add to List

About the Author

Richard Dean Anderson (born January 23, 1950) is a Actor from USA.

15 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

"Even though it seems like there are a lot of parts, there is really tons of downtime in the acting world"

Taryn Manning, Actress

"Most actors spend a lot of time training themselves to be an actor. And I kind of didn't do that. I just started doin' it in front of an audience and had to deliver"

David Carradine, Actor

David Carradine

"And after you've done the acting, there's a lot of places you can put your input - in the editing, in the production of it, in the rewriting of it and so on"

Paul Reiser, Comedian

"I have directed good actors and have gone through the process which is more detailed in theater in a way. You have to get people to stay for two or three hours in a performance. They need more talk and rehearsal than in films"

Julie Taymor, Director

"Nowadays, there are sometimes more producers than there are people in the cast, because it takes that much money to put a show on"

Stephen Sondheim, Composer

Stephen Sondheim

"It has given me an insight into what it's like as an actor to come into a show in the middle of a production and fit into a group that's already established"

Corin Nemec, Actor

"I read a lot of scripts. Most of 'em go to other actors"

Sam Elliott, Actor

"The process of doing plays will make you an actor"

Stephen Collins, Actor

"When not much is happening and there seems to be nothing you can do to change that, you do wonder. But I am an actor, like it or not. I stuck with it and took what was offered"

Kathleen Quinlan, Actress

"The whole point about becoming an actor is variety and changing roles"

Richard Wilson, Actor

"Most of the early part of an actor's career, you do the jobs you get"

Jack Nicholson, Actor

Jack Nicholson

"Being an actor you have a lot of expenses"

Esai Morales, Actor

"I think some actors thrive on working at a much greater pace than I do"

Daniel Day-Lewis, Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis

"That's the great thing about being an actor, you get to try out lots of things for your roles"

Bruce Boxleitner, Actor

"The job of an actor is the same in all of them, really. I mean, you're just creating a character that you hope people will believe, so it doesn't make that much of a difference really"

Rosamund Pike, Actress

"Once you've gotten the job, there's nothing to it. If you're an actor, you're an actor. Doing it is not the hard part. The hard part is getting to do it"

Morgan Freeman, Actor

Morgan Freeman

"I think I've had more of a variety in what I've done than most actors"

John Turturro, Actor

"As I've always said, preproduction is so important. When you cast the actors, you've done much of the work. Now, you may need to guide them a little, take it up or down, have them go faster or slower, but the casting process is crucial"

Robert Wise, Producer

"Being an actor gives you a chance to play all kinds of roles, very moving and dramatic on one project, silly and girlish on another. That's the most interesting thing out this business, you get to keep reinventing yourself"

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Actress

Sarah Michelle Gellar

"I always say if you've seen good acting on television, those actors are really good. Because there's just not enough time. You don't have any preparation"

Sasha Alexander, Actress