--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you have a character to work with…" description: "\"When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look at the world in a different way.\" — Ben Whishaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png" --- # When you have a character to work with, you carry them… ![“When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look at the world in a different way.” quote by Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png) > “When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look at the world in a different way.” [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character reshapes an actor’s perception, altering how they view the world. **In simple terms:** Roles change personal outlook. Key Takeaway Let characters expand your worldview. Themes creativity perspective identity artistic process empathy Mood introspective inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - theatre performance - film acting - creative workshops - personal development Key Concepts method acting character immersion psychological insight Questions to Reflect On - How does embodying a role affect you personally? - What boundaries protect your own identity? A Different Perspective Over‑identification can blur self‑identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Strange way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-way/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Two or three hours' walking will carry me to as strange a country as I expect ever to see. A single farmhouse which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/two-or-three-hours-walking-will-carry-me-to-as-strange-a-country-as-i/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The September 11th tragedy forced us all to look at the world in a different way, and it reminds us all of the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-woodward/the-september-11th-tragedy-forced-us-all-to-look-at-the-world-in-a/) [Joanne Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-woodward/) > [Each person does see the world in a different way. There is not a single, unifying, objective truth. We're all limited by our perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/each-person-does-see-the-world-in-a-different-way-there-is-not-a/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Artists see the world in a very different way than everyone else, and it's important when the artist points a lens at the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thane-rosenbaum/artists-see-the-world-in-a-very-different-way-than-everyone-else-and/) [Thane Rosenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thane-rosenbaum/) > [To be honest, I am somebody that, as long as I have a character, it doesn't really matter if it's comedy or drama -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-tointon/to-be-honest-i-am-somebody-that-as-long-as-i-have-a-character-it/) Hannah Tointon > [When I get into the shoes of any character, I work on getting the perfect look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-sharma/when-i-get-into-the-shoes-of-any-character-i-work-on-getting-the/) [Ashish Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-sharma/) > [The nature of our motivation determines the character of our work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-nature-of-our-motivation-determines-the-character-of-our-work/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [ \[T\]he judicious reader ought to know what the chief character in any work of the imagination will naturally perform, according to the situation he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-fielding/t-he-judicious-reader-ought-to-know-what-the-chief-character-in-any/) [Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-fielding/) > [When you're trying to do character work that's different from what people expect from you, you're sort of in territory that is uncharted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/when-you-re-trying-to-do-character-work-that-s-different-from-what/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [Most of the methods of training the conscious side of the writer-the craftsman and the critic in him- are actually hostile to the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-brande/most-of-the-methods-of-training-the-conscious-side-of-the-writer-the/) [Dorothea Brande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-brande/) > [For me it's always about first impressions. I trust my instincts. I love to prepare if it's something that requires training. But I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-zane/for-me-it-s-always-about-first-impressions-i-trust-my-instincts-i/) [Billy Zane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-zane/) > [Doing multiple character work is athletic in every way - vocally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. With a show like 'Passing Strange,' I usually lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-domingo/doing-multiple-character-work-is-athletic-in-every-way-vocally/) [Colman Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-domingo/) > [I find that in preparation for a drama you can do a lot of character work and develop the character and know what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-monaghan/i-find-that-in-preparation-for-a-drama-you-can-do-a-lot-of-character/) [Michelle Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-monaghan/) > [Part of what makes my character work is the delivery of the truth behind my comments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-omega/part-of-what-makes-my-character-work-is-the-delivery-of-the-truth/) [Kenny Omega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-omega/) > [I've always used my own personal emotions and things that I've gone through in my life to build a character. The work that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-ve-always-used-my-own-personal-emotions-and-things-that-i-ve-gone/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) ## More by Ben Whishaw > [I think that sometimes in theater, I don't prepare much beyond going to the rehearsals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-think-that-sometimes-in-theater-i-don-t-prepare-much-beyond-going/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [The thing about acting is that it's fairly random. At the end of the day you take what drifts past you or what's given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/the-thing-about-acting-is-that-it-s-fairly-random-at-the-end-of-the/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [As an actor, you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do. I don't see why that has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/as-an-actor-you-have-total-rights-to-privacy-and-mystery-whatever/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I can be shy, but I’m not really. I try to be better at overcoming these things people have said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-can-be-shy-but-i-m-not-really-i-try-to-be-better-at-overcoming/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I don't have any ambition to make lots of money or win an Oscar or anything like that. It's not about that for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-don-t-have-any-ambition-to-make-lots-of-money-or-win-an-oscar-or/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I would have loved to have been a painter or a sculptor. I'm still fascinated by those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-would-have-loved-to-have-been-a-painter-or-a-sculptor-i-m-still/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I'm really hopeless with technology - I don't even have a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-m-really-hopeless-with-technology-i-don-t-even-have-a-computer/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I used to collect knick-knacks, like wizards, trolls and little buddhas, and arrange them like precious things on a shelf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-used-to-collect-knick-knacks-like-wizards-trolls-and-little-buddhas/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I'd like to have a go at directing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-d-like-to-have-a-go-at-directing/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I think being very thin has had a lot to do with how I've been cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-think-being-very-thin-has-had-a-lot-to-do-with-how-i-ve-been-cast/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I wish that the arts were better supported, and you can't say that enough times, but I also believe that whatever happens, artists will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-wish-that-the-arts-were-better-supported-and-you-can-t-say-that/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [Even today, England is a very repressed, repressive country, and there's pressure to be kind of a certain way, so people do things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/even-today-england-is-a-very-repressed-repressive-country-and-there-s/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I'm not tortured and neurasthenic - I'm really not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-m-not-tortured-and-neurasthenic-i-m-really-not/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [I don’t think that actors are necessarily any more uncomfortable in their skin than anyone else. I suppose I feel more comfortable in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-don-t-think-that-actors-are-necessarily-any-more-uncomfortable-in/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) > [Filmmakers tell stories to explore human nature, which is always a flawed thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/filmmakers-tell-stories-to-explore-human-nature-which-is-always-a/) [Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) [Explore all 50 Ben Whishaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/) ## More Around quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [I guess I'm attracted to things that are fun. I guess what is fun about this role in 'Suburgatory' is that there's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-things-that-are-fun-i-guess-what-is-fun/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [I think the issues around diversity of all kinds are really a huge problem in the startup world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/i-think-the-issues-around-diversity-of-all-kinds-are-really-a-huge/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/) [Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [I drink maple syrup. Then I'm hyper so I just run around like crazy and work it all off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-drink-maple-syrup-then-i-m-hyper-so-i-just-run-around-like-crazy/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I became an MP in 2017 and have been around to watch Liberal Democrat party membership soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-became-an-mp-in-2017-and-have-been-around-to-watch-liberal-democrat/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) Browse all 7,275 Around quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look at the world in a different way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Whishaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-you-carry-them-around-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Around" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-you-carry-them-around-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-whishaw-13587_around_when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-y_814628.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you have a character to work with, you carry them around in a strange way - they make you look at the…” — Ben Whishaw", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ben Whishaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you have a character to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-you-carry-them-around-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/when-you-have-a-character-to-work-with-you-carry-them-around-in-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```