--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A while ago, I did a television…" description: "\"A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was concerned, had no redeeming features whatsoeve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg" --- # A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak… ![“A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was concerned, had no redeeming features whatsoever. I wasn't about to try to find any; I didn't need to.” quote by Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg) > “A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was concerned, had no redeeming features whatsoever. I wasn't about to try to find any; I didn't need to.” [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The actor intentionally portrayed a character without redeeming qualities, rejecting the need for moral balance. **In simple terms:** Deliberate choice to play an irredeemable role. Key Takeaway Accept complex characters. Themes acting character study morality Mood introspective serious Type dramatic analytical When to use this quote - theatre - film casting - character analysis - creative risk Key Concepts anti‑hero narrative choice Questions to Reflect On - How does playing a villain affect an actor’s craft? - What purpose do irredeemable characters serve? A Different Perspective Audiences may struggle to connect with wholly negative characters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Bleak house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bleak-house/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Books help to form us. If you cut me open, you will find volume after volume, page after page, the contents of every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/books-help-to-form-us-if-you-cut-me-open-you-will-find-volume-after-2/) [Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/) > [The plain rule is to do nothing in the dark, to be a party to nothing underhanded or mysterious, and never to put his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-plain-rule-is-to-do-nothing-in-the-dark-to-be-a-party-to-nothing/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“LONDON. Michaelmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln’s Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/london-michaelmas-term-lately-over-and-the-lord-chancellor-sitting-in/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“this is my landlord, Krook”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dickens-charles/this-is-my-landlord-krook/) [Dickens, Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dickens-charles/) > [The one great principle of the English law is, to make business for itself. There is no other principle distinctly, certainly, and consistently maintained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-one-great-principle-of-the-english-law-is-to-make-business-for-2/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > ['Bleak House' remains a great novel for me, and I love 'David Copperfield.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/bleak-house-remains-a-great-novel-for-me-and-i-love-david-copperfield/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [I hadn't read Dickens for a while and doing 'Bleak House' was great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/i-hadn-t-read-dickens-for-a-while-and-doing-bleak-house-was-great/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [Every story has already been told. Once you've read Anna Karenina, Bleak House, The Sound and the Fury, To Kill a Mockingbird and A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-story-has-already-been-told-once-you-ve-read-anna-karenina/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“And you, being a good man, can pass it as such, and forgive and pity the dreamer, and be lenient and encouraging when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/and-you-being-a-good-man-can-pass-it-as-such-and-forgive-and-pity-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Jarndyce and Jarndyce drones on. This scarecrow of a suit has, in course of time, become so complicated that no man alive knows what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dickens-charles/jarndyce-and-jarndyce-drones-on-this-scarecrow-of-a-suit-has-in-2/) [Dickens, Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dickens-charles/) > [Vladimir Nabokov on 'Bleak House' or Henry James on 'The House of the Seven Gables' prove that reading can be an exciting subject in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/vladimir-nabokov-on-bleak-house-or-henry-james-on-the-house-of-the/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [I was brought up on Dickens. I remember reading 'Bleak House' but, coming back to it, I didn't remember much about it apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burn-gorman/i-was-brought-up-on-dickens-i-remember-reading-bleak-house-but-coming/) [Burn Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burn-gorman/) > [So many things were testing his faith. There was the Bible, of course, but the Bible was a book, and so were Bleak House,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/so-many-things-were-testing-his-faith-there-was-the-bible-of-course/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [Bleak House is just the most astounding piece of work. There's huge, visionary poetry in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-callow/bleak-house-is-just-the-most-astounding-piece-of-work-there-s-huge/) [Simon Callow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-callow/) ## More by Charles Dance > [I was a window dresser for Burton's once. What really put me off was the area manager coming round and saying, Charles, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/i-was-a-window-dresser-for-burton-s-once-what-really-put-me-off-was/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [The quality of writing attracts me to films, also who the other actors are, who the director is, where it's being shot. Any or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/the-quality-of-writing-attracts-me-to-films-also-who-the-other-actors/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [You have to attempt to be objective about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/you-have-to-attempt-to-be-objective-about-yourself/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [If you get a bad script, then you start expending energy trying to make a silk purse of a sow's ear. When the script's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/if-you-get-a-bad-script-then-you-start-expending-energy-trying-to/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [I phoned this number and said, Please, sir, I want to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/i-phoned-this-number-and-said-please-sir-i-want-to-be-an-actor/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [Most feature films are 35-40 shooting days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/most-feature-films-are-35-40-shooting-days/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [My face lends itself to austere characters, and unless they're two-dimensional, I will do them. Any actor will tell you that an interesting villain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/my-face-lends-itself-to-austere-characters-and-unless-they-re-two/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [When you have a label stuck on you, people tend to believe it. If someone calls you suave and debonair, you only get offered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/when-you-have-a-label-stuck-on-you-people-tend-to-believe-it-if/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [I would have liked to have worked with Ralph Richardson and Paul Scofield, but they're dead now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/i-would-have-liked-to-have-worked-with-ralph-richardson-and-paul/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [If I was to put a little flag in everywhere I've been in the world, there'd be a lot of little flags.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/if-i-was-to-put-a-little-flag-in-everywhere-i-ve-been-in-the-world/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [When you get to a certain age, the work begins to thin out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/when-you-get-to-a-certain-age-the-work-begins-to-thin-out/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [Actors can't retire. If actors retired, there would be nobody left to play old, wrinkly people. You have to keep going, darling - don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/actors-can-t-retire-if-actors-retired-there-would-be-nobody-left-to/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [ Because \[writers\] Dan Weiss and David Benioff have done such a great job in adapting them, that's what we work with. It serves no… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/because-writers-dan-weiss-and-david-benioff-have-done-such-a-great/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [There is a huge fan base; they're very knowledgeable and very loyal. I was astonished - before I started working on the series, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/there-is-a-huge-fan-base-they-re-very-knowledgeable-and-very-loyal-i/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [We have to take risks in British television. It has to stop playing to the lowest common denominator and patronising people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/we-have-to-take-risks-in-british-television-it-has-to-stop-playing-to/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) [Explore all 62 Charles Dance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was concerned, had no redeeming features whatsoever. I wasn't about to try to find any; I didn't need to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Dance" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptation-of-bleak-house-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptation-of-bleak-house-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f4/charles-dance-10952_about_a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptatio_1317070.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A while ago, I did a television adaptation of 'Bleak House,' and the character I played, as far as I was…” — Charles Dance", "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": "Charles Dance", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A while ago, I did a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptation-of-bleak-house-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/a-while-ago-i-did-a-television-adaptation-of-bleak-house-and-the/#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 } } ] } ```