Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Services
    • Aircheck for Actors
    • Demo Reels
    • Audition Prep/Self-Tape Reader
    • Website Design
    • Mailing Labels
    • Contribute
    • Industry Links
    • Advertise
    Daily Actor
    • Acting Tips
      • Actors on Acting
      • Advice Columns
      • Acting Quotes
      • Audition Tapes
      • How To Become An Actor
      • How to Memorize Lines
    • Monologues
      • Monologues from Plays
      • Monologues from Movies
      • Monologues from Musicals
      • Comedic Monologues
      • Dramatic Monologues
      • One Minute Monologues
      • Monologues for Women
      • Monologues for Men
      • Monologues for Teens
      • Monologues for Kids
      • All Monologues
    • Acting Resources
      • Acting Resume
        • Acting Resume Template
      • Acting Classes
        • Los Angeles Acting Classes
        • Las Vegas Acting Classes
        • San Diego Acting Classes
      • Acting Schools and Colleges
        • Los Angeles
        • New York
        • BFA Acting Schools
      • Casting Websites
      • Headshot Photographers
        • Los Angeles
        • New York City
        • Headshot Printing
      • Acting Techniques
        • What is Method Acting?
      • Stage Directions
      • Demo Reels: Everything You Need to Know
    • Interviews
      Featured
      Jeremy Davis Olaf in Frozen Interview

      Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

      Recent
      Jeremy Davis Olaf in Frozen Interview

      Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

      January 19, 2023
      Casting Director Kim Coleman Interview

      Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on ‘Five Days at Memorial’, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People

      January 11, 2023
      David Christopher Wells To Kill a Mockingbird Interview

      Interview: David Christopher Wells on His Role in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Being an Understudy and Getting His MFA

      December 27, 2022
    • Actor Blogs
    • Reviews
      • Movies
      • Theater
      • Books
      • Products
    • Actor Services
      • Airchecks
      • Demo Reels
      • Website Design
      • Mailing Labels
    Daily Actor
    Home » Actors on Acting » Dennis Quaid on Discovering Acting and His Early Career
    Actors on Acting

    Dennis Quaid on Discovering Acting and His Early Career

    Chris McKittrickBy Chris McKittrickMay 17, 2017Updated:September 16, 2018No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    Actor Dennis Quaid

    “I discovered that acting was really a study of human behavior; what made people tick. And that fascinated me, and still fascinates me.” – Dennis Quaid

    Dennis Quaid has had the type of journeyman acting career that most film and television actors would dream of. Though Quaid hasn’t had a franchise or career-defining role like many of his contemporaries, Quaid has starred in a long list of hits of all sizes, from 1979’s Breaking Away to 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow. In an interview with The Guardian, Quaid reflected on what drew him to acting in the first place and on his longevity in an industry where a long career is uncommon.

    While attending the University of Houston, he took an acting class taught by Cecil Pickett, a long-time acting teacher at the school. Quaid remembers, “He taught acting as a craft, and, within the first week, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. With him, I discovered that acting was really a study of human behavior; what made people tick. And that fascinated me, and still fascinates me.”

    Despite getting bitten by the acting bug, Quaid knew being an actor professionally was an uphill battle. He explains, “Was I totally confident? No. But I had resolve that it was going to work for me. I worked in jobs in Houston – I was a clown at an amusement park, I was a waiter, I worked construction. [In Los Angeles] I was determined not to work again except as an actor. I was lucky because I know a lot of people who were very talented who did not have luck.”

    Though there is a long list of roles that Quaid was almost cast in — Backdraft, An Officer and a Gentleman, Batman Begins, and Rain Man are often cited as examples — Quaid doesn’t spend time any more on reflecting over the roles he could’ve had. He explains, “Now I can’t be anything but grateful for the career I’ve had. I’ve had a very lucky career. I’m still here. Who knows what would have happened if … you know … there’s no way to tell. It could have gone better or worse.”

    Related

    Previous ArticleJon Favreau: “Acting is the closest thing you’ll get to an apprenticeship for directing”
    Next Article Elisabeth Moss on ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and Doing Television When Actors Weren’t “Supposed” to Do Television

    Related Posts

    Acting Teacher Terry Knickerbocker

    There’s No Such Thing As “Chemistry” In Acting

    January 26, 2023
    Jeremy Davis Olaf in Frozen Interview

    Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

    January 19, 2023
    Casting Director Kim Coleman Interview

    Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on ‘Five Days at Memorial’, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People

    January 11, 2023
    Add A Comment

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Popular Pages
    Become An Actor | Acting Tips | Acting Quotes
    Acting Resume | Resume Template
    Headshot Photographers
    Los Angeles | New York
    Print Your Headshots
    Acting Schools & Colleges
    Los Angeles | New York
    Monologues
    Movies | Plays | Comedic | Dramatic
    Men | Women | Teens | Kids
    • Contact
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Resource Listings
    • Write A Column
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer: Daily Actor at times uses affiliate links to sites like Amazon.com, Masterclass, streaming services, and others. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for.

    Daily Actor Facebook Daily Actor Twitter Daily Actor Instagram Daily Actor Pinterest Daily Actor YouTube Page
    © 2023 Daily Actor

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.