--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It doesn't matter if your lead character…" description: "\"It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at what he does.\" — David Chase" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/david-chase-17906_be-good_it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character_29030.jpg" --- # It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad… ![“It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at what he does.” quote by David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/david-chase-17906_be-good_it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character_29030.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/david-chase-17906_be-good_it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character_29030.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/david-chase-17906_be-good_it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character_29030.jpg) > “It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at what he does.” [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A compelling protagonist must captivate the audience, regardless of moral alignment, by possessing engaging traits and competence in their role. **In simple terms:** Interesting characters drive stories. Key Takeaway Character intrigue outweighs morality. Themes character development narrative tension moral ambiguity heroism competence Mood intrigued curious entertaining Type advice observation When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - roleplaying games - character design - storyboarding Key Concepts protagonist interest skill Practical Applications - crafting memorable leads - building audience empathy Questions to Reflect On - What makes a character compelling beyond virtue? - How does competence affect audience perception? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-good/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Interesting Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-good-420866/) [Lead Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead-character-420863/) [Lead characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead-characters/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Lead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-lead-420865/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It works better if your lead character is complex and interesting and not perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/it-works-better-if-your-lead-character-is-complex-and-interesting-and/) [Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/) > [I've had male executives say that my lead character was unlikable because she slept with a lot of guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/i-ve-had-male-executives-say-that-my-lead-character-was-unlikable/) [Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/) > [I always say, "Never give your lead character an infant. Make them a recovering alcoholic, or the victim of a horrible violent crime because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-plec/i-always-say-never-give-your-lead-character-an-infant-make-them-a/) [Julie Plec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-plec/) > [I much prefer following a lead character that is doing morally questionable things. How much do you get on board? Do like that? Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/i-much-prefer-following-a-lead-character-that-is-doing-morally/) [Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/) > [No one goes through life thinking that theyre the best friend of the lead character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/no-one-goes-through-life-thinking-that-theyre-the-best-friend-of-the/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [Think of it as the Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-bell/think-of-it-as-the-doorway-of-no-return-the-feeling-must-be-that-your/) [James Scott Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-bell/) > [Life doesnt matter how you start or how you end it, but its all about the matter how you lead it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-lekha/life-doesnt-matter-how-you-start-or-how-you-end-it-but-its-all-about/) [Author Lekha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-lekha/) > [“Well, it's interesting, so it's all good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kouga-yun/well-it-s-interesting-so-it-s-all-good/) [KOUGA YUN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kouga-yun/) > [It has to be said that the bad guys are often more interesting than the good guys because you get to indulge part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tennant/it-has-to-be-said-that-the-bad-guys-are-often-more-interesting-than/) [David Tennant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tennant/) > [The bad guys are not typical; they are not just bad, they are interesting. They might be good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-de-bont/the-bad-guys-are-not-typical-they-are-not-just-bad-they-are/) [Jan de Bont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-de-bont/) > [I just cannot do a boring film. It has to be interesting with a good character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huma-qureshi/i-just-cannot-do-a-boring-film-it-has-to-be-interesting-with-a-good/) [Huma Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huma-qureshi/) > [I have a fundamental faith in folk, that people are interesting and good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/i-have-a-fundamental-faith-in-folk-that-people-are-interesting-and/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [I've been playing the bad guy in the last seven or eight projects I've done. I like it. It's a lot more interesting! Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-evigan/i-ve-been-playing-the-bad-guy-in-the-last-seven-or-eight-projects-i/) [Greg Evigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-evigan/) > [Bad people doing bad things is not interesting. What I find interesting is good people doing bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/bad-people-doing-bad-things-is-not-interesting-what-i-find/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I did an episode on the TV show 'Awake,' and I thought, 'Wow, that's really hard.' To do that so fast and to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-zurer/i-did-an-episode-on-the-tv-show-awake-and-i-thought-wow-that-s-really/) [Ayelet Zurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-zurer/) ## More by David Chase > [I think for anyone who follows the 'artistic life,' a certain amount of selfishness and self-involvement is part of the package. You're probably already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-think-for-anyone-who-follows-the-artistic-life-a-certain-amount-of/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I said it's a cold universe and I don't mean that metaphorically. If you go out into space, it's cold. It's really cold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-said-it-s-a-cold-universe-and-i-don-t-mean-that-metaphorically-if/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I really like comedy. There's always a choice, when you're writing: you can either go for the joke or you can go for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-really-like-comedy-there-s-always-a-choice-when-you-re-writing-you/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [When I was doing 'The Sopranos', I liked putting music together with the film; that was my favorite part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/when-i-was-doing-the-sopranos-i-liked-putting-music-together-with-the/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [People have said that I said I hate television. I never did say that. What I said was that I hated a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/people-have-said-that-i-said-i-hate-television-i-never-did-say-that/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I think people are intolerant of artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-think-people-are-intolerant-of-artists/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [People get so tired of the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/people-get-so-tired-of-the-60s/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [You know, what's interesting is, being your own self is kind of a blur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/you-know-what-s-interesting-is-being-your-own-self-is-kind-of-a-blur/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I had a prior deal in place to do a miniseries for HBO, so I'm not done with TV. But I basically want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-had-a-prior-deal-in-place-to-do-a-miniseries-for-hbo-so-i-m-not/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [The thing about movies now is in a way what it always was: The screen is huge and now the sound systems are too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/the-thing-about-movies-now-is-in-a-way-what-it-always-was-the-screen/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [Network television is all talk. I think there should be visuals on a show, some sense of mystery to it, connections that don't add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/network-television-is-all-talk-i-think-there-should-be-visuals-on-a/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I was so besotted with '8½' that, when it was on TV, I used to take pictures with my 35-mm. camera of the frames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-was-so-besotted-with-8-that-when-it-was-on-tv-i-used-to-take/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [When I was a kid, I used to watch 'Laurel and Hardy' with my cousins all the time. I still think they're extremely funny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-watch-laurel-and-hardy-with-my-cousins-all/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I would imagine that the more time you spend talking to another person, the more you're going to lie to them. So if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-would-imagine-that-the-more-time-you-spend-talking-to-another/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [But cheer up - we could be selling tobacco. It's not like software kills people if used as intended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/but-cheer-up-we-could-be-selling-tobacco-it-s-not-like-software-kills/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) [Explore all 36 David Chase quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) [Randy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-anderson/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) > [You life will find its own paths... and that they be good, rich, and wide is what I wish for you, more than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/you-life-will-find-its-own-paths-and-that-they-be-good-rich-and-wide/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. 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