It’s no good being great in something that goes straight to video.

Meaning of the quote

It's important to focus on doing great work that will be seen by many people, rather than work that only a few people will watch, like a movie that goes straight to video. Doing your best work is only valuable if others can actually experience it.

About Tom Wilkinson

Tom Wilkinson was an acclaimed English actor who received numerous awards, including a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy. He was known for his versatile roles in films like The Full Monty, In the Bedroom, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and for his acclaimed portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the HBO miniseries John Adams.

More about the author

More quotes from Tom Wilkinson

I won’t say I wouldn’t be grateful and happy and delighted and thrilled to bits to receive a nomination. But I wouldn’t be suicidal if it didn’t happen.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

When you’re an actor you don’t really know what you have to do until you see what you look like.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

You don’t have any kind of sense of being foolish when you are acting. When you’re younger you don’t want to look a fool, so you don’t do things that might make you vulnerable.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

There’s only one shot you have at a movie, and that’s your best shot. If you can’t give it that, don’t go. They’re paying you! You gotta do a job for them.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

You can’t do things for money. You just can’t act them. There’s gotta be something about the script that you really want to do. I wouldn’t do a job if I didn’t think I could do the best work I possibly could.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

If the script is telling the story well, that is your inspiration, and you do not need to go somewhere else.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

Once Miramax gets involved, if they like your movie, there’s a big machine that gets involved.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

One of the characteristics of plays that are made into films is that they can be very talky.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

All good actors are easy to work with. It’s the ones that aren’t very good who tend to be very difficult.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

It’s no good being great in something that goes straight to video.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

Acting for me is not that quid pro quo.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

If you have something that you know is important to you and vital to you… then this will perhaps help people understand the importance of confronting it and being brave about it.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

Most stuff you can do standing on your head.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

I would recommend it to everybody, every now and again you just put a dress on, see what it feels like, because it’s, its interesting. A whole complex series of thoughts and feelings assail you as you look at yourself.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)

I once did a role which I couldn’t rehearse in my street clothes, I had to have the character’s costume on before I could rehearse it. I just couldn’t think as the character unless I looked like him, or I knew that I looked like him.

Tom Wilkinson

English actor (1948-2023)