--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can have characters that say one…" description: "\"You can have characters that say one thing and do another, and in certain kinds of drama, you can't get away with that because the audience will become..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg" --- # You can have characters that say one thing and do another… ![“You can have characters that say one thing and do another, and in certain kinds of drama, you can't get away with that because the audience will become confused - or certainly, the commissioners will become confused and tell you to stop doing it!” quote by Jed Mercurio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg) > “You can have characters that say one thing and do another, and in certain kinds of drama, you can't get away with that because the audience will become confused - or certainly, the commissioners will become confused and tell you to stop doing it!” [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. Characters must act consistently with their words to maintain audience trust; inconsistency breaks immersion. **In simple terms:** Characters should match words with actions to avoid confusing viewers. Key Takeaway Keep character actions aligned with dialogue. Themes storytelling consistency audience perception dramatic integrity Mood analytical practical Type guidance instructional When to use this quote - scriptwriting - theatre - film production - novel writing - role‑playing games Key Concepts narrative theory character development Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle character contradictions? - When is inconsistency purposeful? A Different Perspective Sometimes artistic choices demand ambiguity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [When you're writing for the screen, you have to be hyper-conscious every moment of how the audience is going to react. If you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/when-you-re-writing-for-the-screen-you-have-to-be-hyper-conscious/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [When both a speaker and an audience are confused, the speech is profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/when-both-a-speaker-and-an-audience-are-confused-the-speech-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If a movie has more characters than an audience can keep track of, the audience will get confused and lose interest in the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-a-movie-has-more-characters-than-an-audience-can-keep-track-of-the/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [It's the writer's job to stage confrontations, so the characters will say surprising and revealing things, and educate and entertain us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-s-the-writer-s-job-to-stage-confrontations-so-the-characters-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I always get inspiration from whatever characters say about my character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-always-get-inspiration-from-whatever-characters-say-about-my/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [“Are you going to be okay?' 'I thought I was. I'll get over it.' I'd heard too many characters say the same thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/are-you-going-to-be-okay-i-thought-i-was-i-ll-get-over-it-i-d-heard/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“(CBI lecture, Dublin, 2008. Speaking on the challenges presented by The Moorehawke Trilogy to the YA reader) You can't choose any of these characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-kiernan/cbi-lecture-dublin-2008-speaking-on-the-challenges-presented-by-the/) [Celine Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-kiernan/) > [Everything characters say or do is a clue to their personalities, their histories, and the forces that motivate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-g-tapply/everything-characters-say-or-do-is-a-clue-to-their-personalities/) William G. Tapply > [“I'm really just playing when I write. I feel like I'm a kid again. I want my characters to do and say things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-ann-lesko/i-m-really-just-playing-when-i-write-i-feel-like-i-m-a-kid-again-i/) Lori Ann Lesko > [My work is always more emotional than I am. My characters say things to each other that I get accused of not being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/my-work-is-always-more-emotional-than-i-am-my-characters-say-things/) [Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/) > [My main problem is that over and over again, I try to get all my characters to say stuff that I think is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/my-main-problem-is-that-over-and-over-again-i-try-to-get-all-my/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I always serve the writer first because I'm English trained, even though I'm American. I don't protect my own ass, I protect the writer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-always-serve-the-writer-first-because-i-m-english-trained-even/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [I just have my characters say my controversial opinions and then hide behind them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-just-have-my-characters-say-my-controversial-opinions-and-then-hide/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [Some TV shows are like really good novels in that there are enough episodes that you start to have your own feelings about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/some-tv-shows-are-like-really-good-novels-in-that-there-are-enough/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [You can't blame a writer for what the characters say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-t-blame-a-writer-for-what-the-characters-say/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## 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": "You can have characters that say one thing and do another, and in certain kinds of drama, you can't get away with that because the audience will become confused - or certainly, the commissioners will become confused and tell you to stop doing it!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jed Mercurio" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thing-and-do-another-and-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thing-and-do-another-and-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/jed-mercurio-6761_audience_you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thi_1373897.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can have characters that say one thing and do another, and in certain kinds of drama, you can't get away…” — 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": "You can have characters that say...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thing-and-do-another-and-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mercurio/you-can-have-characters-that-say-one-thing-and-do-another-and-in/#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 } } ] } ```