--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In film, because you know where the…" description: "\"In film, because you know where the ending is, characters can change, but in television, you substitute revelation for change, and that can be hard to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png" --- # In film, because you know where the ending is, characters… ![“In film, because you know where the ending is, characters can change, but in television, you substitute revelation for change, and that can be hard to pull off.” quote by Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png) > “In film, because you know where the ending is, characters can change, but in television, you substitute revelation for change, and that can be hard to pull off.” [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. TV relies on surprise revelations rather than character growth, making it harder to achieve satisfying change compared to film. **In simple terms:** TV uses twists instead of deep character change. Key Takeaway Focus on character arcs for lasting impact. Themes storytelling media character development Mood analytical thoughtful Type educational critical When to use this quote - scriptwriting courses - TV pilot development - writer's rooms - film studies Key Concepts narrative structure audience expectation Questions to Reflect On - How can TV balance revelation with genuine change? - What techniques deepen character evolution? A Different Perspective Relying solely on twists can feel shallow without underlying growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-television-2382062/) [Characters Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-change-338257/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Ending Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-characters-2382061/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Know Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-ending-238735/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [“Every story is entitled to have a ‘happily ever after’ ending. However, not all characters are so deserving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-b-hanson/every-story-is-entitled-to-have-a-happily-ever-after-ending-however/) [Chad B Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-b-hanson/) > [I think Shonda Rhimes came to change television for women forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-think-shonda-rhimes-came-to-change-television-for-women-forever/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [I never know the endings when I write. It's a turnoff when you know the ending. You lose much of your incentive to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-never-know-the-endings-when-i-write-it-s-a-turnoff-when-you-know/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [“The only trust required is to know that when there is one ending there will be another beginning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/the-only-trust-required-is-to-know-that-when-there-is-one-ending/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estés](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [But, how do you know if an ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/but-how-do-you-know-if-an-ending-is-truly-good-for-the-characters/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [I couldn't function if I weren't allowed to stretch and do really different characters where I can change the whole "beingness" of that person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-travolta/i-couldn-t-function-if-i-weren-t-allowed-to-stretch-and-do-really/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-travolta/) > [I'm just looking always for characters that change, because I want to get better, as an actor and as a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/i-m-just-looking-always-for-characters-that-change-because-i-want-to/) [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/) > [Well, I don't think characters change. I think they become more revealed. I don't think you really can change a character on a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-edelstein/well-i-don-t-think-characters-change-i-think-they-become-more/) [Lisa Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-edelstein/) > [I think if characters change too much, it's unrealistic; their whole fabric of who they are as a person doesn't just disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/i-think-if-characters-change-too-much-it-s-unrealistic-their-whole/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [When I work on a piece I always think if there is an abundance of male characters which one could we change to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-crampton/when-i-work-on-a-piece-i-always-think-if-there-is-an-abundance-of/) [Barbara Crampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-crampton/) > [Characters do change over time; there are surprises, role reversals, and things like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/characters-do-change-over-time-there-are-surprises-role-reversals-and/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Of course, even if the directors like my ideas or the designs I do, they may end up changing the story so much, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walton/of-course-even-if-the-directors-like-my-ideas-or-the-designs-i-do/) [Mark Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walton/) > [To the image of the characters, I do change my appearance. For example, I gain weight and I lose weight sometimes, and I grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-sik-choi/to-the-image-of-the-characters-i-do-change-my-appearance-for-example/) [Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/) > [You can perform all kind of characters but you cannot change what people feel for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-marceau/you-can-perform-all-kind-of-characters-but-you-cannot-change-what/) [Sophie Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-marceau/) > [The only way to change the world is to change the main character of our story - the one we believe that we are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/the-only-way-to-change-the-world-is-to-change-the-main-character-of/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) ## More by Hugh Laurie > [“It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-i-think-in-life-to-wait-until-you-re-ready-i/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [Ideas are 10 a penny. It's the execution that's the hard thing to do. House is standing up against a tide of sentiment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/ideas-are-10-a-penny-it-s-the-execution-that-s-the-hard-thing-to-do/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [To be a head boy, you have to be very clever, you have to be a scholar, and I was never a scholar in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/to-be-a-head-boy-you-have-to-be-very-clever-you-have-to-be-a-scholar/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [To me, he's a hero, ... He's not polite. He's not someone you want to take home to meet your mother, necessarily. 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The really tricky bit, trickiness cubed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/this-was-the-tricky-bit-the-really-tricky-bit-trickiness-cubed/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [“We want different things. Men want to have sex with a woman. Then they want to have sex with another woman. And then another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/we-want-different-things-men-want-to-have-sex-with-a-woman-then-they/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [I travel to work on my motorcycle, so it's jeans, boots and a brown Aero leather jacket that weighs as much as I do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/i-travel-to-work-on-my-motorcycle-so-it-s-jeans-boots-and-a-brown/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [I just read an 800-page history of the Scottish Enlightenment and, honestly, I may as well just start it again now, because I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/i-just-read-an-800-page-history-of-the-scottish-enlightenment-and/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [The only good thing I've ever noticed about money, the only positive aspect of an otherwise pretty vulgar commodity, is that you can use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/the-only-good-thing-i-ve-ever-noticed-about-money-the-only-positive/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [“Plus laid aussi qu'un parking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/plus-laid-aussi-qu-un-parking/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [I was too shy, I think, to sing publicly. It takes a particular kind of person. And when I was young, I was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/i-was-too-shy-i-think-to-sing-publicly-it-takes-a-particular-kind-of/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [Acting is largely about putting on masks, and music is about removing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/acting-is-largely-about-putting-on-masks-and-music-is-about-removing/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [“I said no thank you a dozen times, and fuck off once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/i-said-no-thank-you-a-dozen-times-and-fuck-off-once/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) [Explore all 159 Hugh Laurie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In film, because you know where the ending is, characters can change, but in television, you substitute revelation for change, and that can be hard to pull off.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hugh Laurie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/in-film-because-you-know-where-the-ending-is-characters-can-change/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/in-film-because-you-know-where-the-ending-is-characters-can-change/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/hugh-laurie-2413_change_in-film-because-you-know-where-the-endin_2655119.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In film, because you know where the ending is, characters can change, but in television, you substitute…” — Hugh Laurie", "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": "Hugh Laurie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In film, because you know where...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/in-film-because-you-know-where-the-ending-is-characters-can-change/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/in-film-because-you-know-where-the-ending-is-characters-can-change/#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 } } ] } ```