act in
phr. v..phr. v.. to have a role in a movie, play, or television show.
phr. v.. to perform a role within a specific dramatic production; transitive phrasal verb requiring a production as the object.
She wants to act in a famous movie one day.
Many famous Hollywood stars started their careers by acting in small independent films.
The veteran stage performer was finally persuaded to act in a contemporary television drama despite his long-standing preference for classical theater.
- Particles
- in
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- act + in + object
The object is always the production (film, play, series) rather than the character name.
Contrast with 'act as' (used for the character name) or 'act out' (to perform a specific scene or behavior).
He acted in Hamlet character.He acted in Hamlet.The object of 'act in' must be the title of the work, not the name of the character.