--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a hard thing, I think, to totally…" description: "\"It's a hard thing, I think, to totally balance comedy and horror, and to do it in a way that is about the people you know, that is about figuring out h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg" --- # It's a hard thing, I think, to totally balance comedy and… ![“It's a hard thing, I think, to totally balance comedy and horror, and to do it in a way that is about the people you know, that is about figuring out how to push the characters to their extreme and see how they would actually respond.” quote by Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg) > “It's a hard thing, I think, to totally balance comedy and horror, and to do it in a way that is about the people you know, that is about figuring out how to push the characters to their extreme and see how they would actually respond.” [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing comedy and horror requires focusing on authentic characters and pushing them to extreme situations to reveal genuine reactions. **In simple terms:** Mixing humor and fear works best with real people and extreme tests. Key Takeaway Use real relationships to test character limits. Themes humor horror character development storytelling Mood tension curiosity analytical Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - writing workshops - film direction - character improvisation - script analysis Key Concepts psychology extreme scenarios genre blending Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep humor from undermining horror? - What limits do characters face under extreme pressure? A Different Perspective Balancing tones can dilute impact if not carefully managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody tried comedy in horror, and when I tried it ladies came to the theatre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghava-lawrence/nobody-tried-comedy-in-horror-and-when-i-tried-it-ladies-came-to-the/) [Raghava Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghava-lawrence/) > [Characters are an extreme form in Shakespeare's theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tippett/characters-are-an-extreme-form-in-shakespeare-s-theater/) [Michael Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tippett/) > [I love playing characters that go to extreme places, and I love to explore different kinds of psychological landscapes, so it is ultimately a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-love-playing-characters-that-go-to-extreme-places-and-i-love-to/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [Shakespeare put characters in extreme circumstances, all over his plays. Therefore their behaviour becomes extreme, in ways that can be both extremely good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-lester/shakespeare-put-characters-in-extreme-circumstances-all-over-his/) [Adrian Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-lester/) > [I'm drawn to provocative characters that find themselves in extreme situations. And I think I'm drawn to that consistently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-m-drawn-to-provocative-characters-that-find-themselves-in-extreme/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [In life, there's a ying and a yang and a balance. And when you don't have balance, you have comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lopez/in-life-there-s-a-ying-and-a-yang-and-a-balance-and-when-you-don-t/) [George Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lopez/) > [Right now, I'd like to just continue on a series where I am doing good work with a balance of comedy and drama. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-lopez/right-now-i-d-like-to-just-continue-on-a-series-where-i-am-doing-good/) [Mario Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-lopez/) > [Well, for me, it's the relationship between comedy and life - that's the edge I live on, and maybe it's my protection against looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/well-for-me-it-s-the-relationship-between-comedy-and-life-that-s-the/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [If someone asked, 'What are your films like?,' the best I can come up with is that they're, like, a fine balance between comedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taika-waititi/if-someone-asked-what-are-your-films-like-the-best-i-can-come-up-with/) [Taika Waititi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taika-waititi/) > [My acting has always been in the world of comedy, but in my writing, other than writing sketches, I really am drawn to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rash/my-acting-has-always-been-in-the-world-of-comedy-but-in-my-writing/) [Jim Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rash/) > [The best comedy and horror feel like they take place in reality. You have a rule or two you are bending or heightening, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/the-best-comedy-and-horror-feel-like-they-take-place-in-reality-you/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [Films do have suspense and tensions and scares and jumps, and I like to write things that have both in them, comedy and horror,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/films-do-have-suspense-and-tensions-and-scares-and-jumps-and-i-like/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [The stuff I write with Joe Lo Truglio tends to lean towards horror-comedy and horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-marino/the-stuff-i-write-with-joe-lo-truglio-tends-to-lean-towards-horror/) [Ken Marino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-marino/) > [Comedy and horror are cousins; they're related. They both come from storytellers who want to specifically affect the audience and elicit specific reactions during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/comedy-and-horror-are-cousins-they-re-related-they-both-come-from/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [Comedy and horror are both escapes, and entertainment is a beautiful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-aarons/comedy-and-horror-are-both-escapes-and-entertainment-is-a-beautiful/) [Bonnie Aarons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-aarons/) ## More by Fred Hechinger > [I always want to surprise audiences and tell stories that are entertaining and challenging at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/i-always-want-to-surprise-audiences-and-tell-stories-that-are/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [There's a lot of writing that breaks the mold of a veteran being one thing instead of every single person being their own full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/there-s-a-lot-of-writing-that-breaks-the-mold-of-a-veteran-being-one/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [I always want to be taking big swings. I want to keep making things that are entertaining and challenging at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/i-always-want-to-be-taking-big-swings-i-want-to-keep-making-things/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [Even if you're in a committed relationship or have a full family, there are parts of ourselves that we carry alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/even-if-you-re-in-a-committed-relationship-or-have-a-full-family/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [We're all human and everyone should be treated as full humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/we-re-all-human-and-everyone-should-be-treated-as-full-humans/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [Every period piece is made in the context of the moment, always equally trying to capture something about now through then. But as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/every-period-piece-is-made-in-the-context-of-the-moment-always/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [I think any character you play, you find your ways to love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/i-think-any-character-you-play-you-find-your-ways-to-love-them/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [When you're first on the call sheet, people look to you for guidance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/when-you-re-first-on-the-call-sheet-people-look-to-you-for-guidance/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [Something that bothers me is when legacy overwhelms presence, right? People that are, myself included, too concerned with some idea of yourself than what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/something-that-bothers-me-is-when-legacy-overwhelms-presence-right/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [When I was younger, loneliness was really scary - it felt like an absence - and now I feel human beings are incredibly connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/when-i-was-younger-loneliness-was-really-scary-it-felt-like-an/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [I think about the filmmakers that I've loved working with, and the ones that I want to work with, and I think of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/i-think-about-the-filmmakers-that-i-ve-loved-working-with-and-the/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [If Tom Hanks was, like, secretly a tyrant, it would be totally demoralizing - I would quit. I'd be like, what's the point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/if-tom-hanks-was-like-secretly-a-tyrant-it-would-be-totally/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [It's kind of a perfect mix, Ridley and Denzel, because you have a filmmaker who builds an entire universe in 360, and then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/it-s-kind-of-a-perfect-mix-ridley-and-denzel-because-you-have-a/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [I've always found it comforting to acknowledge and remember that no one is a fixed personality; no one is just one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/i-ve-always-found-it-comforting-to-acknowledge-and-remember-that-no/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [That moment where you feel like you are really, really present and really alive, and really outside of your head and with someone else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/that-moment-where-you-feel-like-you-are-really-really-present-and/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) [Explore all 100 Fred Hechinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a hard thing, I think, to totally balance comedy and horror, and to do it in a way that is about the people you know, that is about figuring out how to push the characters to their extreme and see how they would actually respond.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Hechinger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-balance-comedy-and-horror-and-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-balance-comedy-and-horror-and-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/fred-hechinger-5659_balance_it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-bal_938259.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a hard thing, I think, to totally balance comedy and horror, and to do it in a way that is about the…” — Fred Hechinger", "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": "Fred Hechinger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a hard thing, I think,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-balance-comedy-and-horror-and-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/it-s-a-hard-thing-i-think-to-totally-balance-comedy-and-horror-and-to/#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 } } ] } ```