--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hate it when, by page 30, I know what…" description: "\"I hate it when, by page 30, I know what the lead's going to do and then what the bad guy's gonna do. Mostly it's just scripts by the numbers where noth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/don-cheadle-10276_bad-guy_i-hate-it-when-by-page-30-i-know-what-th_2787148.jpg" --- # I hate it when, by page 30, I know what the lead's going… ![“I hate it when, by page 30, I know what the lead's going to do and then what the bad guy's gonna do. Mostly it's just scripts by the numbers where nothing's surprising, nothing's interesting.” quote by Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/don-cheadle-10276_bad-guy_i-hate-it-when-by-page-30-i-know-what-th_2787148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/don-cheadle-10276_bad-guy_i-hate-it-when-by-page-30-i-know-what-th_2787148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/don-cheadle-10276_bad-guy_i-hate-it-when-by-page-30-i-know-what-th_2787148.jpg) > “I hate it when, by page 30, I know what the lead's going to do and then what the bad guy's gonna do. Mostly it's just scripts by the numbers where nothing's surprising, nothing's interesting.” [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Predictable storytelling leads to boredom; desire for surprise and depth in narratives. **In simple terms:** Predictable scripts are boring. Key Takeaway Seek originality in storytelling. Themes creativity predictability storytelling engagement novelty Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - film production - screenwriting workshops - creative brainstorming Key Concepts narrative theory audience expectation scriptwriting Questions to Reflect On - What makes a story feel fresh? - How can you subvert expectations responsibly? A Different Perspective Not all audiences crave surprise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-page-3352470/) [I hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-hate/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Just Scripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-scripts-2712630/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Page 30](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/page-30-869871/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Script](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/script/) [Scripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts/) [Scripts Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts-numbers-3352471/) [Surprising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprising/) ## Related quotes > [“When my time is up, I want to cross a River Styx of pure root beer." - Jilly Page 30”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/when-my-time-is-up-i-want-to-cross-a-river-styx-of-pure-root-beer/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I just have so many scripts to read!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hines/i-just-have-so-many-scripts-to-read/) [Cheryl Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hines/) > [I don't know, just scripts randomly appeal to me. I'm not looking specifically at any genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/i-don-t-know-just-scripts-randomly-appeal-to-me-i-m-not-looking/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [I'm not one of those actresses that asks what's going to happen. I've never been. I just take the scripts, and I see what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-m-not-one-of-those-actresses-that-asks-what-s-going-to-happen-i-ve/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [There is something, yeah, I mean traditionally it's more fun to play bad guys than it is good guys and when you're playing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/there-is-something-yeah-i-mean-traditionally-it-s-more-fun-to-play/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [It is thus hardly surprising that so many of the great minds in recent history have concerned themselves with economic matters. Indeed, they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-zane-pilzer/it-is-thus-hardly-surprising-that-so-many-of-the-great-minds-in/) [Paul Zane Pilzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-zane-pilzer/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Sometimes people rise above their past, sometimes not. And sometimes the people you least expect it from—like Raylan and my father— have a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-cunningham/sometimes-people-rise-above-their-past-sometimes-not-and-sometimes/) [Kayla Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-cunningham/) > [Actually,” I said, hesitant to bring it up, “I was thinking along the lines of a curse that can turn you human.” “Or witch?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/actually-i-said-hesitant-to-bring-it-up-i-was-thinking-along-the/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [But we must not underestimate the potency of the mathematical process of abstraction. A surprising variety of things happen to have both magnitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banesh-hoffmann/but-we-must-not-underestimate-the-potency-of-the-mathematical-process/) [Banesh Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banesh-hoffmann/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. I've always been drawn to them, but as I wrote my own, I found surprising pleasure in creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/end-of-the-world-stories-tend-to-ring-true-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Life, if you live it right, keeps surprising you, and the thing that keeps surprising you the most…is yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/life-if-you-live-it-right-keeps-surprising-you-and-the-thing-that/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) ## More by Don Cheadle > [We're really trying to give people the ability to go into a darkened room and have a couple hours of just pure enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/we-re-really-trying-to-give-people-the-ability-to-go-into-a-darkened/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [And it's not just black people. That's the other thing about this issue, it's conflated with just black and white and it's not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/and-it-s-not-just-black-people-that-s-the-other-thing-about-this/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [President Obama inherited a broken country mired in two wars, a financial crisis, a mortgage mess and more than we all probably even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/president-obama-inherited-a-broken-country-mired-in-two-wars-a/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [I was about to write that in the future I would chose my words more carefully but I'm sure I won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-was-about-to-write-that-in-the-future-i-would-chose-my-words-more/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [I don't know what would be antithetical to do on the other side, maybe a Tyler Perry movie or something. No, there are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-don-t-know-what-would-be-antithetical-to-do-on-the-other-side-maybe/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [We're not talking about you scored more points than me and I know that you won and I lost, those are clear results. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/we-re-not-talking-about-you-scored-more-points-than-me-and-i-know/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [Kids clearly help center you because you can't impress your kids. People are like, "Oh, are they so excited because you're Ironman?" My kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/kids-clearly-help-center-you-because-you-can-t-impress-your-kids/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [It's great to be in a film that's able to have people really want to become socially conscious, to walk out of the theatre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/it-s-great-to-be-in-a-film-that-s-able-to-have-people-really-want-to/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [We're trying to do what Miles Davis would have wanted us to do, which is approach it as artists with his life as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/we-re-trying-to-do-what-miles-davis-would-have-wanted-us-to-do-which/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [I think if you were to look at my resume in total you would see a lot of things that are kind of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-think-if-you-were-to-look-at-my-resume-in-total-you-would-see-a-lot/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [I think it’s intoxicating when somebody is so unapologetically who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-think-it-s-intoxicating-when-somebody-is-so-unapologetically-who/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [Living by example - that's always a better teacher than trying to preach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/living-by-example-that-s-always-a-better-teacher-than-trying-to-preach/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [I don't believe that the U.S. needs to take a police role. I think it needs to support African nations that have said they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-don-t-believe-that-the-u-s-needs-to-take-a-police-role-i-think-it/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [For me, it's always just been about finding material that I think is creative and interesting and fun and something that can expand me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/for-me-it-s-always-just-been-about-finding-material-that-i-think-is/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [I also believe that you are what you have to defend, and if you're a black man that's always going to be the bar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-also-believe-that-you-are-what-you-have-to-defend-and-if-you-re-a/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) [Explore all 66 Don Cheadle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) ## More Bad guy quotes > [“This is what is called "honor among thieves," for the really dangerous people are those who do not recognize that they are thieves— the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/this-is-what-is-called-honor-among-thieves-for-the-really-dangerous/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [“Here you can shoot the bad guys,' a mercenary says in Baghdad. 'In America we give them corporate bonuses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/here-you-can-shoot-the-bad-guys-a-mercenary-says-in-baghdad-in/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [To us, being the bad guys is cool, because we always root for the bad guys in the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hanneman/to-us-being-the-bad-guys-is-cool-because-we-always-root-for-the-bad/) [Jeff Hanneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hanneman/) > [In 'Gran Torino,' Eastwood moves towards the climax of the movie not by staging a shoot-out, but by putting his weapons to one side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/in-gran-torino-eastwood-moves-towards-the-climax-of-the-movie-not-by/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [In order to have your best good guy, you have to be that bad guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/in-order-to-have-your-best-good-guy-you-have-to-be-that-bad-guy/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [After I did 'Brooklyn,' I did about five or six violent films in one way or another, and not always with me being the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-cohen/after-i-did-brooklyn-i-did-about-five-or-six-violent-films-in-one-way/) [Emory Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emory-cohen/) > [The first act is the easiest to plot. The second act is always the hardest to plot. Generally a good, you know, sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-cannell/the-first-act-is-the-easiest-to-plot-the-second-act-is-always-the/) [Stephen J. Cannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-cannell/) > [“We fall into the fallacy of believing we can litigate the complicated story before us into a black-and-white binary of good guys and bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-lowery/we-fall-into-the-fallacy-of-believing-we-can-litigate-the-complicated/) [Wesley Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-lowery/) > [“If there was a bad guy we could appeal to the people because, like it or not, we, the huddled masses, want our public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-carter/if-there-was-a-bad-guy-we-could-appeal-to-the-people-because-like-it/) [Bill Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-carter/) > [But the thing about bad guys is that they have the biggest bosomed blond, they have great clothes and cars, and get great death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-roberts/but-the-thing-about-bad-guys-is-that-they-have-the-biggest-bosomed/) [Eric Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-roberts/) > [I don't know what it is that I do, but when I play a really bad guy, I'm able to bring some level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ferrer/i-don-t-know-what-it-is-that-i-do-but-when-i-play-a-really-bad-guy-i/) [Miguel Ferrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ferrer/) > [In my career, I've been lucky to do the bad guys that are more interesting, where the audience wants to spend more time with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-stormare/in-my-career-i-ve-been-lucky-to-do-the-bad-guys-that-are-more/) [Peter Stormare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-stormare/) > [Playing a bad guy is always more fun than playing the good guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/playing-a-bad-guy-is-always-more-fun-than-playing-the-good-guy/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) [Browse all 1,228 Bad guy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I hate it when, by page 30, I know what the lead's going to do and then what the bad guy's gonna do. 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