--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's more difficult playing a real-life…" description: "\"It's more difficult playing a real-life person than a fictional character - you can go easy on yourself with a fictional character.\" — Christian McKay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg" --- # It's more difficult playing a real-life person than a… ![“It's more difficult playing a real-life person than a fictional character - you can go easy on yourself with a fictional character.” quote by Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg) > “It's more difficult playing a real-life person than a fictional character - you can go easy on yourself with a fictional character.” [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playing a real person demands deeper authenticity and emotional risk than portraying a fictional role, which is easier to simplify. **In simple terms:** Real-life roles are harder than fictional ones. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity when portraying real people. Themes authenticity challenge craft Mood reflective serious Type guidance philosophical When to use this quote - theatre performance - biopic acting - personal growth Key Concepts method acting emotional truth character study Questions to Reflect On - What techniques help you stay authentic? - How do you balance truth and respect? A Different Perspective Fictional characters allow safe distance, reducing vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy Fictional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-fictional-6130103/) [Fictional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictional/) [Fictional character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictional-character/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Fictional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-fictional-3745430/) [Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing/) [Playing Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yourself/) ## Related quotes > [I love playing real people. It's a huge challenge and responsibility which I take on board and which I relish. It also scares me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/i-love-playing-real-people-it-s-a-huge-challenge-and-responsibility/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) > [It would require constant vigilance to not replace each person with my own fictional version of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-would-require-constant-vigilance-to-not-replace-each-person-with/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [If you're playing a fictional character, you can create a character, you can sort of take certain liberties. And when you're playing a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/if-you-re-playing-a-fictional-character-you-can-create-a-character/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [I discovered that there was no difference between playing a real-life character and a fictional one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/i-discovered-that-there-was-no-difference-between-playing-a-real-life/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [“fictional character, this seemed to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/fictional-character-this-seemed-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [It's all fun and games until someone insults your favorite fictional character...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-all-fun-and-games-until-someone-insults-your-favorite-fictional/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do like to embed a fictional character firmly in an occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/i-do-like-to-embed-a-fictional-character-firmly-in-an-occupation/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [“Meaning, yes -- I don't really exist except on the page or in the back of your brain. But if you think it's weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-michel-sullivan/meaning-yes-i-don-t-really-exist-except-on-the-page-or-in-the-back-of/) [Kyle Michel Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-michel-sullivan/) > [“She was so plain. Would it kill you to wear skirts more, he had said to her. Would it really hurt you? He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-sefton/she-was-so-plain-would-it-kill-you-to-wear-skirts-more-he-had-said-to/) [Meg Sefton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-sefton/) > [As soon as I started reading, I found myself drawn to fictional character's homes as much as I was to the characters themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/as-soon-as-i-started-reading-i-found-myself-drawn-to-fictional/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [Writers are magpies, and we collect details about people and we use them for fictional characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-leavitt/writers-are-magpies-and-we-collect-details-about-people-and-we-use/) [Caroline Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-leavitt/) > [As far as I am concerned, Don Quixote is the most metal fictional character that I know. Single handed, he is trying to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/as-far-as-i-am-concerned-don-quixote-is-the-most-metal-fictional/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [When you're playing a fictional character reacting to the real world, it's incredibly difficult and confusing and kind of messes with your values a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/when-you-re-playing-a-fictional-character-reacting-to-the-real-world/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [“When you “lose yourself” inside the world of a fictional character while reading a story, you may actually end up changing your own behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-marselle/when-you-lose-yourself-inside-the-world-of-a-fictional-character/) [Terry Marselle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-marselle/) > [There are things you can say in the voice of a fictional character that you could not explore any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/contrapoints/there-are-things-you-can-say-in-the-voice-of-a-fictional-character/) [ContraPoints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/contrapoints/) ## More by Christian McKay > [Do I have any potential as an actor? I don't know. I'm still wondering. But acting has kind of taken over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/do-i-have-any-potential-as-an-actor-i-don-t-know-i-m-still-wondering/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I'm told I was acting in school plays when I was a tiny little boy at the age of three, so they must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-m-told-i-was-acting-in-school-plays-when-i-was-a-tiny-little-boy-at/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [People say to me now, Oh, youve given up the piano. How can you? Music is a virus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/people-say-to-me-now-oh-youve-given-up-the-piano-how-can-you-music-is/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I personally think 'Chimes of Midnight' is a much better film than 'Citizen Kane.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-personally-think-chimes-of-midnight-is-a-much-better-film-than/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I once met a man who was a billionaire, and I said to him: 'Are you a self-made man?' - and he turned around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-once-met-a-man-who-was-a-billionaire-and-i-said-to-him-are-you-a/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I was always jealous of my violinist friends and cellist friends who traveled with their instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-was-always-jealous-of-my-violinist-friends-and-cellist-friends-who/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [Like so many people, I only remembered Orson Welles as this huge, fat, bearded figure selling wine in TV commercials. So whenever anyone said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/like-so-many-people-i-only-remembered-orson-welles-as-this-huge-fat/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [Never count your chickens before you can stick a fork into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/never-count-your-chickens-before-you-can-stick-a-fork-into-them/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [Men love women but, even more than that, men love cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/men-love-women-but-even-more-than-that-men-love-cars/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [Now I have an agent, a manager, a lawyer, a publicist, all the king's horses and all the king's men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/now-i-have-an-agent-a-manager-a-lawyer-a-publicist-all-the-king-s/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I'm very happy in my 18th century worker's cottage in Kent and playing my music for the dog-walkers paused outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-m-very-happy-in-my-18th-century-worker-s-cottage-in-kent-and/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I want to record 'Goyescas' by Granados, which has been a great love of mine since I was a teenager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-want-to-record-goyescas-by-granados-which-has-been-a-great-love-of/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [Film is limitless, but some stage presentations on film can look too theatrical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/film-is-limitless-but-some-stage-presentations-on-film-can-look-too/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I was at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where I thought, in my naivete, I'd stay for the rest of my career. I'd thought I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-was-at-the-royal-shakespeare-company-where-i-thought-in-my-naivete/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I always wanted to be an independent maverick, writing plays and putting them on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-independent-maverick-writing-plays-and/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) [Explore all 22 Christian McKay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "It's more difficult playing a real-life person than a fictional character - you can go easy on yourself with a fictional character.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christian McKay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life-person-than-a-fictional/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life-person-than-a-fictional/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50e/christian-mckay-26266_character_it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life_3234168.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's more difficult playing a real-life person than a fictional character - you can go easy on yourself with…” — Christian McKay", "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": "Christian McKay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's more difficult playing a real-life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life-person-than-a-fictional/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/it-s-more-difficult-playing-a-real-life-person-than-a-fictional/#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 } } ] } ```