what does the statement- "there are no small roles, only small actors" mean?

Question

what does it literally mean?

Answer 1

I think it means every role is important.

Answer 2

it means that, even the smallest lines can be the can play the biggest role in a film/production if only the actor takes the time and effort to perfect it.

Answer 3

Minor characters, by simple definition, are characters who do not play a major role in a work of literature. However, every character serves a purpose. Simply because a character does not have many lines or appear in many scenes does not mean that he does not play a major part in the developement of the plot.
So the meaning of all this is that even a small role played by an actor is a very important part of the act or scene.

Answer 4

What this statement is saying is that the role is only as big as the actor. If you put a really good actor into a small role in a movie or TV show, and that actor is really good at that role than you no longer think of it as much as a small role. Conversly if you put someone with not so good acting talent into a small role you'll probably never remember the part.

Answer 5

That an actor with a small role still needs to be prepared, professional, and in character. Even if you only have to deliver one line and stay on stage or on screen for sixty seconds, the quality of your acting will still affect the quality of the play.

A strong lead is, of course, the most important part to have a strong actor in. But even when bit part actors act poorly, the movie suffers noticeably. Anytime the audience notices someone's acting, they aren't thinking about the story or the emotions it is trying to evoke.

Answer 6

Small Actors

Answer 7

Basically it means that if you get a small part, don't stress, because you have to make the best of what you have.

I used to hear this a lot when I would get small roles AND HATED HEARING IT... but.... then I saw a documentary called The Golden Age of Broadway and there was a section talking about Marlon Brando and how even though he had small roles, people were talking about him when the show finished... not the lead.

Answer 8

It means the play is more important than your ego.

A small actor is one who is too good to bother with a small part. Small means worthless in this context.

And finally, the others have it, that all roles are important.

Answer 9

Basically that phrase means even if you have the tiniest role, ex one line, you could be the biggest asset to a performance. And it also means that just because you have the largest role, doesn't mean your the best in a sense. The whole idea of a performance with "actors" is that you are part of a team.

Answer 10

It means that every role is somehow important to the production. "Small" actors are ones who think that a lesser role is beneath them. This quote is designed to warn actors from getting too cocky or arrogant. You could rephrase it as "They are all important roles unless you are a self-important actor"

Answer 11

Hoo boy...................

It is merely a rephrasing of another tried-and-true phrase: Get Over Yourself. No actor is more important than the show.

Having run the gantlet from Spear-Carrier to Townsperson #8 to Chorus to, yes, Lead, and back again,I can tell you from experience:
EVERY part in a play is important. If the character was unimportant, it would not have been written.