Olivia Thirlby Quotes

It's definitely an exciting time to be an actress.

I hope I have quite a few great roles to come.

Going through the ranks and all the training you do as an actor, you hope you're going to make it. But there's a part of you that's got to be realistic and say: 'Look, it might not happen to me.'

I got a manager, and I thought, since I was going out on auditions, I should do this for a living. Then there was this moment on set when I realized I was having a lot of fun, and I really wanted to do this forever. I want to do different stuff, but I want it all to be just as good as this film. I want to be consistent.

I had heard about how people struggle and how hard it is to get into acting. But I did not care because it's something I love.

Once I moved to Chicago and started trying to get acting jobs, I just tended to book more things that were comedically based than anything else. I never had the preconceived notion, 'I will be a comedic actor.' I just thought, 'I'll go into acting and see what kind of work I can get.'

I remember when I first came to Los Angeles being staggered by the range of roles open to me. These were leading parts in shiny new projects, and what always excited me was knowing there was a possibility that I could actually get these parts. I always had the impression that I had a chance.

When I was in acting classes early on, there were so many people in these classes who were doing great work, and you'd just look at them and say, 'Wow, I hope to someday be like that.' And yet these people never worked. You never saw them.

The scripts don't come pouring in; I have to fight for every part.

I had been asked to start going out for roles here and there throughout my career, but I know that acting is a hard thing; it takes a lot of work, and I was traveling. I didn't have the time to really focus on it, so I really waited for the right project to come along.

I think for any actor, for the roles they deeply, truly want? They always have to audition for them.

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

Being an actor, in and of itself, is just hard. You have to just do it for its own sake.

I couldn't imagine trying anything else besides acting. But I didn't know that to make it meant I'd be on a movie screen.

I'm an actress who likes to work as much as possible, so I'm very grateful for all these opportunities.

There's a process: you audition, you get rejected, occasionally you get jobs, and it's exciting, but it's all little stepping stones.

I want a career and the thing is you really have to love acting. I didn't just fall into it and it wasn't just something I was good at. I've had to really work at this. I've had to fall on my face time and time again. You get 'no' 99 per cent of the time and a 'yes' just once.

Reading [Judd Apatow] book, about his background, I think there's a great similarity. What gives him the fire to work hard? He worked hard, researching the comedians of the time, what touched him about it.

I'm proud to be a hard working actress; it's what I've always loved to do and I'm so happy and proud to still be doing it.

It's not like you do 'SNL' and then get handed movie roles. You work, you audition for stuff and try to get it. I think, a lot of people, it's the goal to be in movies or just to be working in general. But yeah, some of us get lucky and get some movie roles, and it's nice.

'Cause it's really hard, it's hard to be an actor.

Acting is a tough business, but if you really want to do it, you should go full force.

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.

What I've learnt being an actor is that you've got to be lucky. I got less lucky, and nobody was interested. If a part came up, it would be for the main corpse's friend's brother who was having problems with his marriage.

To me, the stand up part in my life is great. I know I can do that. When I get an acting chance, I'm really thrilled.