--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes an audience watch something…" description: "\"What makes an audience watch something and care about the characters is the emotional life of the characters.\" — Jed Mercurio" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg" --- # What makes an audience watch something and care about the… ![“What makes an audience watch something and care about the characters is the emotional life of the characters.” quote by Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg) > “What makes an audience watch something and care about the characters is the emotional life of the characters.” [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Audience engagement hinges on characters’ emotional depth; viewers care when they feel characters’ feelings. **In simple terms:** Emotions of characters drive audience care. Key Takeaway Develop deep, relatable characters. Themes storytelling empathy audience engagement Mood analytical engaged Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - screenwriting - novel writing - theater production Key Concepts character development emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - Which character’s emotions moved you most? - How can plot and emotion balance? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on emotion can neglect plot. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Emotional life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [When you're an actor, you do get involved with your characters - your emotional life is tied up with theirs, and so is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/when-you-re-an-actor-you-do-get-involved-with-your-characters-your/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [With 'Always Be My Maybe,' this has to be funny; this has to be entertaining. And then, when we stop for these moments with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nahnatchka-khan/with-always-be-my-maybe-this-has-to-be-funny-this-has-to-be/) [Nahnatchka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nahnatchka-khan/) > [In 'The Prophet' I really fell in love with those characters, there was an emotional connection there that I don't think I've had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/in-the-prophet-i-really-fell-in-love-with-those-characters-there-was/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [Sometimes, as a young woman, you are boxed in more to playing characters that are emotional and vulnerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-otto/sometimes-as-a-young-woman-you-are-boxed-in-more-to-playing/) [Miranda Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-otto/) > [“What truly matters isn’t your feelings or even those of your characters—it’s the emotional experience of your audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-raywood/what-truly-matters-isn-t-your-feelings-or-even-those-of-your/) Will Raywood > [My 2022 birthday party was glitz-and-glamour themed, and I thought, 'I need to do this for shows.' It makes it so the show is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chappell-roan/my-2022-birthday-party-was-glitz-and-glamour-themed-and-i-thought-i/) [Chappell Roan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chappell-roan/) > [It's never a matter ever, ever - are - we're never trying to gross anybody out, or ever are we trying to shock people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/it-s-never-a-matter-ever-ever-are-we-re-never-trying-to-gross-anybody/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [I would love to be on a really good show and share all the stuff that goes into creating a big TV show and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ijustine/i-would-love-to-be-on-a-really-good-show-and-share-all-the-stuff-that/) iJustine > [A lot of people seem to get carried away that something that's made out of paper mâché is going to be better than not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/a-lot-of-people-seem-to-get-carried-away-that-something-that-s-made/) [Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/) > [I learned how to let other performers have their moment. A lot of people can't do that. They just chew the scenery and steamroll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendi-mclendon-covey/i-learned-how-to-let-other-performers-have-their-moment-a-lot-of/) [Wendi McLendon-Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendi-mclendon-covey/) > [I like a film that makes the audience feel like they are in the middle of life as it is moving, and in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-sachs/i-like-a-film-that-makes-the-audience-feel-like-they-are-in-the/) [Ira Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-sachs/) > [In a live setting, the audience is trapped and can't leave. That really makes the audience be with you and laugh more because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/in-a-live-setting-the-audience-is-trapped-and-can-t-leave-that-really/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [I shoot people in a way that makes the audience feel equal to them. And it's hard to express and it's hard to execute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-shoot-people-in-a-way-that-makes-the-audience-feel-equal-to-them/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [I cannot watch my performance as an audience because whenever I watch anything that I am a part of, I watch critically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-cannot-watch-my-performance-as-an-audience-because-whenever-i-watch/) [Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/) > [Sometimes during a show or a film, while you're shooting it, you'll think, "This is great, it's going to be fantastic, the script is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-turner/sometimes-during-a-show-or-a-film-while-you-re-shooting-it-you-ll/) [Aidan Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-turner/) ## More by Jed Mercurio > [When I'm writing, I am just doing what feels right for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/when-i-m-writing-i-am-just-doing-what-feels-right-for-me/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > ['Frankenstein' is a timeless classic. As science advances, it becomes more relevant, not less. Its fantasy moves closer to fact, its horrors closer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/frankenstein-is-a-timeless-classic-as-science-advances-it-becomes/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [I think a lot of police procedurals are very conventional. With the stuff I'm doing, I'm trying to approach the institution of the police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/i-think-a-lot-of-police-procedurals-are-very-conventional-with-the/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [Standards in public life have decayed over time... Incompetence is the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/standards-in-public-life-have-decayed-over-time-incompetence-is-the/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [For something like 'Line of Duty' to work, it has to be both plausible and unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/for-something-like-line-of-duty-to-work-it-has-to-be-both-plausible/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [I like to stay away from writing about good versus evil. I think the world is more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/i-like-to-stay-away-from-writing-about-good-versus-evil-i-think-the/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [In the modern workplace, sexism has adopted a more subtle persona; therefore, people can be accused of sexism where it's far harder to determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/in-the-modern-workplace-sexism-has-adopted-a-more-subtle-persona/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [If you look at American medical fiction written by doctors, like 'The House of God' by Samuel Shem and 'The Blood of Strangers' by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/if-you-look-at-american-medical-fiction-written-by-doctors-like-the/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [I'm interested in institutions, particularly in the way institutions close ranks. They have hierarchies and their own ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/i-m-interested-in-institutions-particularly-in-the-way-institutions/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [It's important that the actor doesn't feel like they're working in a vacuum. If the actor is told, 'Oh, it's a secret; just play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/it-s-important-that-the-actor-doesn-t-feel-like-they-re-working-in-a/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [I'm always thinking about my work, always thinking about where it's taking me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/i-m-always-thinking-about-my-work-always-thinking-about-where-it-s/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [The footballer I've admired most in the last ten years is Zinedine Zidane... one of those rare individuals who had the skill but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/the-footballer-i-ve-admired-most-in-the-last-ten-years-is-zinedine/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > ['Line of Duty' is a social realist drama, so it's set in a world that has the recognisable features of the authentic world we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/line-of-duty-is-a-social-realist-drama-so-it-s-set-in-a-world-that/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [I like to sit at my desk... sometimes I get inspiration when I'm going about my normal day-to-day life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/i-like-to-sit-at-my-desk-sometimes-i-get-inspiration-when-i-m-going/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) > [So with 'Ascent,' one of the things I wanted to do was not make it too remote from the reader, for it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/so-with-ascent-one-of-the-things-i-wanted-to-do-was-not-make-it-too/) [Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) [Explore all 97 Jed Mercurio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What makes an audience watch something and care about the characters is the emotional life of the characters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jed Mercurio" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-and-care-about-the-characters/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-and-care-about-the-characters/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-a_918400.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes an audience watch something and care about the characters is the emotional life of the characters.” — Jed Mercurio", "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": "Jed Mercurio", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mercurio/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What makes an audience watch something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-and-care-about-the-characters/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/what-makes-an-audience-watch-something-and-care-about-the-characters/#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 } } ] } ```