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I put steam on the table by being an actor. That is how I live. The longer I live, the more expensive it becomes. So I do my work. And I can't be immensely picky. How many beautiful scripts come in one's lifetime? I have had more than anybody, practically.
Peter O'Toole
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects the struggles and realities of an actor's life, emphasizing the rarity of great opportunities in the industry.

Peter O'Toole expresses the notion that an actor's career is fueled by passion and necessity, indicating that as time goes on, the demands and costs of living intensify. He recognizes the scarcity of exceptional scripts and emphasizes the importance of consistent work and dedication, even if opportunities or choices may be limited.

Themes

ActingCareerOpportunityDedicationScripts

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about pursuing passion despite obstacles.

More from Peter O'Toole

When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself.
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No one should ever know where conduct ends and acting begins. Conduct unbecoming. That's what acting is.
Peter O'TooleRead
A few years back I was asked if I would go and meet a director and his various acolytes, and it occurred to me halfway through the meeting that what I was doing was auditioning. And I thought, 'Well, hang on buddy. I've done half a century of this.'
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I have no intention of uttering my last words on the stage. Room service and a couple of depraved young women will do me quite nicely for an exit.
Peter O'TooleRead
Acting is just being a man. Being human. Not forcing it.
Peter O'TooleRead
It is time for me to chuck in the sponge. To retire from films and stage. The heart for it has gone out of me: it won't come back.
Peter O'TooleRead

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