--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I can get the audience to connect with…" description: "\"If I can get the audience to connect with the characters emotionally - and they love who they are, they love the larger-than-life situation that they'r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg" --- # If I can get the audience to connect with the characters… ![“If I can get the audience to connect with the characters emotionally - and they love who they are, they love the larger-than-life situation that they're in, but most of all get the audience invested in the characters - then I always feel like I can sort of put them in the most outrageous…” quote by James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg) > “If I can get the audience to connect with the characters emotionally - and they love who they are, they love the larger-than-life situation that they're in, but most of all get the audience invested in the characters - then I always feel like I can sort of put them in the most outrageous circumstances, and the audience is okay to go with that.” [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotional connection to characters lets audiences accept extreme plot twists. **In simple terms:** Audience love lets creators push boundaries. Key Takeaway Build deep character bonds for bold storytelling. Themes storytelling character audience Mood creative analytical Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - scriptwriting - directing - marketing - fan engagement Key Concepts film studies psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you deepen character empathy? - What limits exist for outrageous plots? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating viewers if characters feel shallow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [Find your true audience - Not everyone will get it and that's okay, it keeps you being true to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valerio/find-your-true-audience-not-everyone-will-get-it-and-that-s-okay-it/) Paul Valerio > [I've done a lot of pilots, and they're all so expositional. In the beginning, I think that it is important to make sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-pilots-and-they-re-all-so-expositional-in-the/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) > [You have to get the audience invested even if you're doing something that they think is dumb, it's kind of what these movies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/you-have-to-get-the-audience-invested-even-if-you-re-doing-something/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [You need the audience to become invested in the characters and in order to become invested, they need to identify with the characters... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordana-brewster/you-need-the-audience-to-become-invested-in-the-characters-and-in/) [Jordana Brewster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordana-brewster/) > [The characters I'm most emotionally involved with are like friends you leave behind when you move away. You don't see them regularly anymore, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/the-characters-i-m-most-emotionally-involved-with-are-like-friends/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [Each role you play, they set a bar of challenges that you meet. And in the past, I've played characters that emotionally expressed themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/each-role-you-play-they-set-a-bar-of-challenges-that-you-meet-and-in/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [When we create female characters, I think often there is a tendency to kind of make female characters emotionally bulletproof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashly-burch/when-we-create-female-characters-i-think-often-there-is-a-tendency-to/) [Ashly Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashly-burch/) > [I look for characters who are emotionally driven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-keach/i-look-for-characters-who-are-emotionally-driven/) [Stacy Keach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-keach/) > [As a woman, I don't feel like I have a responsibility to create better female characters. I feel like I have a responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/as-a-woman-i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-a-responsibility-to-create-better/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [As actors, we have to take characters, and we have to feel for them and ultimately become them, and share that on screen so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-butler/as-actors-we-have-to-take-characters-and-we-have-to-feel-for-them-and/) [Ross Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-butler/) > [“Some writers need to sink in order to feel what their characters feel; in order to write their characters with the truest feeling possible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lifsey/some-writers-need-to-sink-in-order-to-feel-what-their-characters-feel/) [Lori Lifsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lifsey/) > [You can start imagining all kinds of things characters would feel, but you have to have a sense of whether those imaginings might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/you-can-start-imagining-all-kinds-of-things-characters-would-feel-but/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I'm grateful that so many viewers have related to characters I've played. I think many in the audience see themselves in my characters or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hwang-jung-eum/i-m-grateful-that-so-many-viewers-have-related-to-characters-i-ve/) [Hwang Jung-eum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hwang-jung-eum/) > [My attitudes aren't directed toward characters at all. I don't feel sympathetic toward some characters, unsympathetic toward others. I don't love some characters, feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/my-attitudes-aren-t-directed-toward-characters-at-all-i-don-t-feel/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The easiest way for readers to connect with characters and feel sympathy is to make the character entertaining, sympathetic and likeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randa-abdel-fattah/the-easiest-way-for-readers-to-connect-with-characters-and-feel/) [Randa Abdel-Fattah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randa-abdel-fattah/) ## More by James Wan > [I come from a very straight and adjusted suburban background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-come-from-a-very-straight-and-adjusted-suburban-background/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I realized that my camera work could help me in a lot of ways to put the audience in the driver's seat, so to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-realized-that-my-camera-work-could-help-me-in-a-lot-of-ways-to-put/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I've always said that with a lot of the horror franchises that I've started, it's like directing a pilot. I come in, I direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-ve-always-said-that-with-a-lot-of-the-horror-franchises-that-i-ve/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > ['Fast and Furious' is the only franchise that I've directed that I did not create from scratch. So it definitely was an eye-opening experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/fast-and-furious-is-the-only-franchise-that-i-ve-directed-that-i-did/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I grew up loving X-Men, Spider-Man and Batman. Those are obviously the key big ones, but there's always something kind of cool about Aquaman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-grew-up-loving-x-men-spider-man-and-batman-those-are-obviously-the/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I guess, deep down, there's a dark side to us. I guess that's why movie fans really love the revenge drama. We like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-guess-deep-down-there-s-a-dark-side-to-us-i-guess-that-s-why-movie/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [You can never have too much good blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/you-can-never-have-too-much-good-blessing/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [Whether it's a popcorn movie or some really intellectual sociopolitical movie, I think to some degree they're all influenced by the social climate that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/whether-it-s-a-popcorn-movie-or-some-really-intellectual/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I don't like talking about sequels or spinoffs or franchise until they actually happen, until they actually work with the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-don-t-like-talking-about-sequels-or-spinoffs-or-franchise-until/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [We live in a world that relies on technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/we-live-in-a-world-that-relies-on-technology/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I always felt that what is scary is actually hearing someone tell you what they think they see. That sense of invisibility makes things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-always-felt-that-what-is-scary-is-actually-hearing-someone-tell-you/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I grew up loving X-Men, Spider-Man and Batman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-grew-up-loving-x-men-spider-man-and-batman/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [I think I'm a very sentimental person. Conscious or not, that's what draws me to the kind of films I want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/i-think-i-m-a-very-sentimental-person-conscious-or-not-that-s-what/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > ['Death Sentence' really is a throwback to the '70s style revenge drama with moments of action. It's like a contemporary 'Death Wish' with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/death-sentence-really-is-a-throwback-to-the-70s-style-revenge-drama/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) > [When you work with an actor and then you discover new things that are better, I think you gotta be free to be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/when-you-work-with-an-actor-and-then-you-discover-new-things-that-are/) [James Wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) [Explore all 94 James Wan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/) ## 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 > [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": "If I can get the audience to connect with the characters emotionally - and they love who they are, they love the larger-than-life situation that they're in, but most of all get the audience invested in the characters - then I always feel like I can sort of put them in the most outrageous circumstances, and the audience is okay to go with that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Wan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-with-the-characters-emotionally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-with-the-characters-emotionally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/james-wan-7118_character_if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-wit_2245850.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I can get the audience to connect with the characters emotionally - and they love who they are, they love…” — James Wan", "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": "James Wan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I can get the audience...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-with-the-characters-emotionally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wan/if-i-can-get-the-audience-to-connect-with-the-characters-emotionally/#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 } } ] } ```