The actors I respect are the ones who see it as a career and manage to live reasonably normal lives, like Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
“My character was obnoxious, had stinky feet and wore things like purple tights and a yellow top. I hated the clothes.”
“Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance.”