--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's as boring to see a completely evil…" description: "\"It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is to see a completely good guy.\" — Brian Helgeland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg" --- # It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is… ![“It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is to see a completely good guy.” quote by Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg) > “It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is to see a completely good guy.” [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the lack of nuance when characters are portrayed as wholly evil or wholly good, making them uninteresting. **In simple terms:** One-dimensional characters are dull. Key Takeaway Seek complexity in characters. Themes character development morality storytelling Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical observational When to use this quote - screenwriting - film analysis - character design - audience engagement Key Concepts binary morality character depth Questions to Reflect On - How can you add layers to a seemingly pure character? - What makes a villain relatable? A Different Perspective Even villains and heroes can be compelling if given motivations and flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Good guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-guy/) [Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain/) ## Related quotes > [You don't always come off the way that you want to or look the way you want to. I go out there and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-diaz/you-don-t-always-come-off-the-way-that-you-want-to-or-look-the-way/) [Nick Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-diaz/) > [I don't think anyone sets out to be the evil villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-middleditch/i-don-t-think-anyone-sets-out-to-be-the-evil-villain/) [Thomas Middleditch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-middleditch/) > [The only way a woman can ever reform a man is by boring him so completely that he loses all possible interest in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-only-way-a-woman-can-ever-reform-a-man-is-by-boring-him-so/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The only way a woman can ever reform her husband is by boring him so completely that he loses all possible interest in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-only-way-a-woman-can-ever-reform-her-husband-is-by-boring-him-so/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Disabled people used to be either the good person or the real evil villain. There's no way in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/disabled-people-used-to-be-either-the-good-person-or-the-real-evil/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [“He was evil. Cruel, capricious, and dangerous as a cobra. A prince of darkness. Completely evil, and completely in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/he-was-evil-cruel-capricious-and-dangerous-as-a-cobra-a-prince-of/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [“There is no one who is completely evil as to lack some goodness in him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/there-is-no-one-who-is-completely-evil-as-to-lack-some-goodness-in-him/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [All my books are an inquiry into the nature of evil. Why do good people do bad things? Are any human beings completely evil?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/all-my-books-are-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-of-evil-why-do-good/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [For something to be completely evil is to be nothing. Satan has good attributes - intelligence, for instance - but they are corrupted. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-derrickson/for-something-to-be-completely-evil-is-to-be-nothing-satan-has-good/) [Scott Derrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-derrickson/) > [There's gotta be a villain; there's gotta be a good guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-laettner/there-s-gotta-be-a-villain-there-s-gotta-be-a-good-guy/) [Christian Laettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-laettner/) > [If I play a villain, I try to find his lightness and his good side. And if I play a hero or a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/if-i-play-a-villain-i-try-to-find-his-lightness-and-his-good-side-and/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [Well, you need the villain. If you don't have a villain, the good guy can stay home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/well-you-need-the-villain-if-you-don-t-have-a-villain-the-good-guy/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [One thing Im not gonna do, because Im black, is suddenly say you know what, I cant play a villain! You dont need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/one-thing-im-not-gonna-do-because-im-black-is-suddenly-say-you-know/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [I would love to play an out-and-out villain because I have always been perceived as the good guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-kapoor/i-would-love-to-play-an-out-and-out-villain-because-i-have-always/) [Kunal Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-kapoor/) > [As long as I have the talent and there's a demand for the old Chinese man - whether he's a philosopher, or a master,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hong/as-long-as-i-have-the-talent-and-there-s-a-demand-for-the-old-chinese/) [James Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hong/) ## More by Brian Helgeland > [As much as I love period movies and especially more swashbuckling movies, I think that sometimes they tend to be, umm... it's hard for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/as-much-as-i-love-period-movies-and-especially-more-swashbuckling/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [I think 'Cool Hand Luke' was probably the first movie in which I was aware of the writing as its own separate thing. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/i-think-cool-hand-luke-was-probably-the-first-movie-in-which-i-was/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [Working on an adaptation is not as satisfying, because it's not your original work: you're interpreting. With 'L.A. Confidential,' I loved the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/working-on-an-adaptation-is-not-as-satisfying-because-it-s-not-your/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [If Im in the bookstore, and I see a 700-page novel, my first thought is, Ooh, how could you cut this down to size…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/if-im-in-the-bookstore-and-i-see-a-700-page-novel-my-first-thought-is/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [I don't really write with living actors in mind. I guess I write for dead actors. I'll think of like, you know, Burt Lancaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/i-don-t-really-write-with-living-actors-in-mind-i-guess-i-write-for/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [I was in a bookstore one afternoon, and I stumbled across this book called 'A Guide to Film Schools.' I always loved movies growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/i-was-in-a-bookstore-one-afternoon-and-i-stumbled-across-this-book/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [You can write anything you want on paper, like blowing up the bridge on the River Kwai, but when you actually have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/you-can-write-anything-you-want-on-paper-like-blowing-up-the-bridge/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [Because I've been at it so long and very steadily, I have a lot of credits, but I probably have twice as many scripts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/because-i-ve-been-at-it-so-long-and-very-steadily-i-have-a-lot-of/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [I write R-rated action dramas, and every year that goes by, that gets to be a smaller and smaller world you have to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/i-write-r-rated-action-dramas-and-every-year-that-goes-by-that-gets/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [There are plenty of writers who are going to become a director after their next job, but no one will believe you're a director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/there-are-plenty-of-writers-who-are-going-to-become-a-director-after/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [Its such an egotistical thing to be able to just stand there and say, Action! Its like being a little mini-god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/its-such-an-egotistical-thing-to-be-able-to-just-stand-there-and-say/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [If you write an original, its like you went in and dug a well, and you hit oil. But an adaptation, its like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/if-you-write-an-original-its-like-you-went-in-and-dug-a-well-and-you/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [“The pieces of my broken heart are so small that they could be passed through the eye of a needle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/the-pieces-of-my-broken-heart-are-so-small-that-they-could-be-passed/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [I worked as hard to write the worst film of the year as I did to write the best film of the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/i-worked-as-hard-to-write-the-worst-film-of-the-year-as-i-did-to/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) > [It's okay to lie as long as you reach a higher truth doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/it-s-okay-to-lie-as-long-as-you-reach-a-higher-truth-doing-it/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) [Explore all 32 Brian Helgeland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) ## More Boring quotes > [Normal is so Boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/normal-is-so-boring/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want easy success. It's boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/i-don-t-want-easy-success-it-s-boring/) [Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/) > [I'd be very controversial if I said why, and I don't do controversial anymore. That's too passé. So last year. Being controversial is boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-d-be-very-controversial-if-i-said-why-and-i-don-t-do-controversial/) M.I.A > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [The films I find boring are the ones that have no space for the audience's misconceptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-decker/the-films-i-find-boring-are-the-ones-that-have-no-space-for-the/) [Josephine Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-decker/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I've always felt that dark lyrics with dark music is pretty useless. Maybe that's a strong statement - not useless, but for me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-felt-that-dark-lyrics-with-dark-music-is-pretty-useless/) [Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/) > [Something is wrong if workers do not look around each day, find things that are tedious or boring, and then rewrite the procedures. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiichi-ohno/something-is-wrong-if-workers-do-not-look-around-each-day-find-things/) [Taiichi Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiichi-ohno/) > [Plumbing is usually boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/plumbing-is-usually-boring/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/if-something-is-boring-after-two-minutes-try-it-for-four-if-still/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) Browse all 3,123 Boring quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is to see a completely good guy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Helgeland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil-villain-as-it-is-to-see-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil-villain-as-it-is-to-see-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/brian-helgeland-19416_boring_it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil_447249.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's as boring to see a completely evil villain as it is to see a completely good guy.” — Brian Helgeland", "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": "Brian Helgeland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's as boring to see a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil-villain-as-it-is-to-see-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/it-s-as-boring-to-see-a-completely-evil-villain-as-it-is-to-see-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 } } ] } ```