Lin-Manuel Miranda Quotes

I've been lucky that even when I was younger, just because of my look or whatever, I was afforded the opportunity or called on to try. 'Can you do this Hispanic character?' 'Can you do this Italian character?' 'Can you do this Jewish-American character?' I just had to develop a facility for their accents.

I was not a child star. I was more like a young auditioner.

Being a Filipino actor in Hollywood, the most frustrating part of landing roles in Hollywood is definitely the limited roles available and the lack of diversity.

I've witnessed racism all my life. And of course there's racism and discrimination in Hollywood. You go for a part and they say, 'Oh, we really liked her, she's amazing, but we wanted to go with something more traditional'. As if I'm not a traditional American!

I've auditioned for normal characters. But I never get cast.

I actually love auditioning because I usually don't get the part. I've tested with Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise. So I've gotten to that point, and I understand when I don't get it. There are a lot of very talented people out there.

Someone can do three episodes of 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' then turn around and book a primetime show. That's happening all the time.

I did an episode of 'Entourage.' I played Morgan - I think it was season three or season four. It was actually my third audition, and it was my first big job.

In L.A., you constantly go on auditions, and you're usually not what they're looking for - you get used to going back and back to the same show, and nothing happens.

After high school, I drove out to L.A. with a friend of mine who had just graduated also, and I started auditioning. I got an agent, but it was all 'Saved By the Bell' auditions.

Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.

I started auditioning when I was about 10 and I didn't get my first job until I was 12, and two years at that age is really hard.

I did television a lot in my earlier years, so to do the high school student that's just the pretty girl, I've done that before, so I don't have any interest in that.

Somebody with Debbie Reynolds' features doesn't get cast as the Wicked Witch.

I remember before I did 'Boston Public,' I couldn't get seen for drama. Once I'd done 'Boston Public,' I couldn't get seen for a comedy.

I've only auditioned for one non-culturally specific role. I went through drama school and studied classic texts and played lead roles in 'Measure for Measure' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest' alongside a very culturally diverse group of acting students. But as soon as we graduate and enter the industry, all of those roles fall away.

Sometimes when you're starting out with acting, you have to take what you can get to get experience and meet people.

I haven't been in a position to have the luxury to pick roles for most of my career, so I'm not practiced in that. Usually, when you want to be an actor, you take whatever comes along. If there's an audition, you go for it. If you get the job, you do it - just to get experience, to act, to meet people.

It's harder in the States. I'm much more inclined to get offered things that are a lot straighter and heavier and dramatic. And they go by looks, too. If you look like a leading man, then that's what they will consider you for.

It's hard for the American industry to see a Latin actor playing something that is not a gardener or someone in a cartel. It's hard to find the material that tells a story of a Latin or European Spanish guy that is not a bad guy.

I particularly want more acting. I've been auditioning a lot, and I definitely want to act.

I always did TV commercials and made great money to put myself through school. That became guest starring roles on TV shows.

I moved out to LA, got an agent, started auditioning. I didn't know anything about how it worked. And since I was really bad, luckily, I didn't get any of those parts.

I'm used to working really hard to get a role. I was always auditioning and talking my way into roles.

People were confused by me, and at first I was auditioning a lot for the crazy characters or the victim, someone who'd been attacked. Which is great, because usually those are the best acting roles.