--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I definitely did not play myself. As the…" description: "\"I definitely did not play myself. As the writer of the script, I have traits of all the characters. I can relate to all of the characters.\" — Cherien D..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/cherien-dabis-28887_character_i-definitely-did-not-play-myself-as-the_371620.jpg" --- # I definitely did not play myself. As the writer of the… ![“I definitely did not play myself. As the writer of the script, I have traits of all the characters. I can relate to all of the characters.” quote by Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/cherien-dabis-28887_character_i-definitely-did-not-play-myself-as-the_371620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/cherien-dabis-28887_character_i-definitely-did-not-play-myself-as-the_371620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/cherien-dabis-28887_character_i-definitely-did-not-play-myself-as-the_371620.jpg) > “I definitely did not play myself. As the writer of the script, I have traits of all the characters. I can relate to all of the characters.” [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer sees herself in every character, reflecting personal traits across the story. **In simple terms:** She relates to all characters. Key Takeaway Use personal experience to enrich storytelling. Themes self‑reflection creativity character development Mood introspective creative Type artistic professional When to use this quote - screenwriting - acting workshops - character analysis Key Concepts narrative empathy authorial voice identity Questions to Reflect On - How does personal identification affect character authenticity? - What techniques keep characters distinct? A Different Perspective May blur objective storytelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You just play what a writer writes, in terms of what a character chooses to do and how a character chooses to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/you-just-play-what-a-writer-writes-in-terms-of-what-a-character/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [I realized early on that if I became an actor, I could play a writer and a sculptor and a painter and be all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-realized-early-on-that-if-i-became-an-actor-i-could-play-a-writer/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [Whatever part drink may play in the writer's life, it must play none in his or her work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/whatever-part-drink-may-play-in-the-writer-s-life-it-must-play-none/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The way I like to work is to attach personal experiences to what I'm doing, so it helps tremendously if I can write my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/the-way-i-like-to-work-is-to-attach-personal-experiences-to-what-i-m/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [Writing a tribe is fun. They have their own language, their own slang; they repeat it, and it becomes part of the texture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/writing-a-tribe-is-fun-they-have-their-own-language-their-own-slang/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I've stayed away from doing 'urban film' because I just don't relate to the characters. I'm not going to take a role because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/i-ve-stayed-away-from-doing-urban-film-because-i-just-don-t-relate-to/) [Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/) > ['A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' by Betty Smith is one of my favorites. Even though it doesn't have any monsters or crazy fantasy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-by-betty-smith-is-one-of-my-favorites-even/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [I want to play characters that people relate to, characters that make different kinds of women in society feel represented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/i-want-to-play-characters-that-people-relate-to-characters-that-make/) [Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/) > [I find that I relate to most of the characters that I play on a really personal level, just because we're the same age,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-newton/i-find-that-i-relate-to-most-of-the-characters-that-i-play-on-a/) [Kathryn Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-newton/) > [People relate to my characters and see me in a different way. They identify with me and remember the nuances of my characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-aaryan/people-relate-to-my-characters-and-see-me-in-a-different-way-they/) [Kartik Aaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kartik-aaryan/) > [I think anybody would be hard pressed not to relate to at least one of the characters, because there's so many different multifaceted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/i-think-anybody-would-be-hard-pressed-not-to-relate-to-at-least-one/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [I think I relate to all the characters in one way or another. I'm a chameleon like that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-tamblyn/i-think-i-relate-to-all-the-characters-in-one-way-or-another-i-m-a/) [Amber Tamblyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-tamblyn/) > [You have to be involved and relate to the characters in order to make a film that is true emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/you-have-to-be-involved-and-relate-to-the-characters-in-order-to-make/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [I always tend to write about outsiders. And what's been fun for me is, as I travel around and visit schools, is that other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-willis-holt/i-always-tend-to-write-about-outsiders-and-what-s-been-fun-for-me-is/) [Kimberly Willis Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-willis-holt/) > [I mean, I don't relate to characters who are perfect. If someone offers up somebody as a role model, I'm going to be like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torrey-peters/i-mean-i-don-t-relate-to-characters-who-are-perfect-if-someone-offers/) [Torrey Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torrey-peters/) ## More by Cherien Dabis > [Some of my favorite all-time movies - Wong Kar-wai is just amazing. In the Mood for Love is probably my favorite film ever. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/some-of-my-favorite-all-time-movies-wong-kar-wai-is-just-amazing-in/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I think that you have to have a really specific type of personality to be able to both direct and act, because it requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-think-that-you-have-to-have-a-really-specific-type-of-personality/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [When it comes to identity, that was an issue that plagued me for a lot of my life. It's something that I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/when-it-comes-to-identity-that-was-an-issue-that-plagued-me-for-a-lot/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I knew that I wanted to live in a city, but had never really been to New York. But I was begging my parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-knew-that-i-wanted-to-live-in-a-city-but-had-never-really-been-to/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [From as early as I can remember, I wanted to have something to do with the acting business. I was a TV junkie as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/from-as-early-as-i-can-remember-i-wanted-to-have-something-to-do-with/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [It's why I fell in love with movies. You can sit in a movie theater and be transported to a place that you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/it-s-why-i-fell-in-love-with-movies-you-can-sit-in-a-movie-theater/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [When you step in to act, you just zoom way in on the longest possible lens and you're just totally in the point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/when-you-step-in-to-act-you-just-zoom-way-in-on-the-longest-possible/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I watch everything from independent art-house cinema to foreign film. I don't watch as many Hollywood blockbusters but once in a while, I'm curious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-watch-everything-from-independent-art-house-cinema-to-foreign-film/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I discovered myself in the back-and-forth and in the hyphenated Arab-American way, and one of the things that I discovered was that I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-discovered-myself-in-the-back-and-forth-and-in-the-hyphenated-arab/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [When there's an actor involved, the actor's talking to the director or the director's talking to the actor. But when there are not those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/when-there-s-an-actor-involved-the-actor-s-talking-to-the-director-or/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [Jordan is many different things and there's many different parts of it. We don't ever really get to see a modern Arab city, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/jordan-is-many-different-things-and-there-s-many-different-parts-of/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [Keep doing what you're doing no matter what anyone says. Defy your own doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/keep-doing-what-you-re-doing-no-matter-what-anyone-says-defy-your-own/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I was really inspired by my own experience, and specifically my own identity crisis but larger than that, I also wanted to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-was-really-inspired-by-my-own-experience-and-specifically-my-own/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [On the American side, some of the movies that I watched when I was a kid, like E.T. or The Wizard of Oz, those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/on-the-american-side-some-of-the-movies-that-i-watched-when-i-was-a/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [I grew up watching a lot of Egyptian movies. My parents had this huge VHS collection of every Egyptian movie you can possibly imagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-grew-up-watching-a-lot-of-egyptian-movies-my-parents-had-this-huge/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) [Explore all 19 Cherien Dabis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I definitely did not play myself. 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