--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can write a character who is…" description: "\"If you can write a character who is attractive but morally reprehensible, then you've got a character. It's got to feel like people I know and it doesn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f23/jez-butterworth-32626_attractive_if-you-can-write-a-character-who-is-attr_1886919.jpg" --- # If you can write a character who is attractive but morally… ![“If you can write a character who is attractive but morally reprehensible, then you've got a character. It's got to feel like people I know and it doesn't just become a bag of tricks.” quote by Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f23/jez-butterworth-32626_attractive_if-you-can-write-a-character-who-is-attr_1886919.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f23/jez-butterworth-32626_attractive_if-you-can-write-a-character-who-is-attr_1886919.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f23/jez-butterworth-32626_attractive_if-you-can-write-a-character-who-is-attr_1886919.jpg) > “If you can write a character who is attractive but morally reprehensible, then you've got a character. It's got to feel like people I know and it doesn't just become a bag of tricks.” [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A compelling character must be both appealing and flawed, reflecting real people rather than caricatures. **In simple terms:** Good characters are attractive yet morally flawed. Key Takeaway Create nuanced characters that mirror real complexity. Themes character development morality authenticity Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary creative When to use this quote - writing workshops - novel drafting - screenplay editing Key Concepts psychology literary realism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance charm and vice in a protagonist? - What traits make a flawed character relatable? A Different Perspective Complexity can alienate audiences seeking clear heroes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attractive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractive/) [Attractive Morally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractive-morally-2700946/) [Bags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bags/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Attractive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-attractive-1043599/) [Character Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-got-621810/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Got Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-character-2700947/) [Morally Reprehensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morally-reprehensible-638169/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“and if she wasn’t precisely pretty, she had a force of character that is often more attractive than simple beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/and-if-she-wasn-t-precisely-pretty-she-had-a-force-of-character-that/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I hope that role will allow people to see me as something else. Harry Potter will be the character that got me famous, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-hope-that-role-will-allow-people-to-see-me-as-something-else-harry/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [Finally, after a lot of searching and digging, it was simply the love of family that gave me a road into the character. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-tripplehorn/finally-after-a-lot-of-searching-and-digging-it-was-simply-the-love/) [Jeanne Tripplehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-tripplehorn/) > [I was in 'UFC Undisputed 2,' but I was only a bonus character, so not everyone got to play as me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-schaub/i-was-in-ufc-undisputed-2-but-i-was-only-a-bonus-character-so-not/) [Brendan Schaub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-schaub/) > [With any character, I try to focus more on who the character is and how they got to be who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachelle-lefevre/with-any-character-i-try-to-focus-more-on-who-the-character-is-and/) [Rachelle Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachelle-lefevre/) > [It's always an interesting challenge to see if you can create a character that's got emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/it-s-always-an-interesting-challenge-to-see-if-you-can-create-a/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Leaving American disaster victims to languish is morally reprehensible and un-American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-richmond/leaving-american-disaster-victims-to-languish-is-morally/) [Cedric Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-richmond/) > [We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction, yet morally acceptable for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/we-must-abandon-the-unworkable-notion-that-it-is-morally/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It would be morally reprehensible not to tell the truth... Everything I have written has stood the test of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-kelley/it-would-be-morally-reprehensible-not-to-tell-the-truth-everything-i/) [Kitty Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-kelley/) > [“To saddle the next generation with unimaginable debt is not only callous, it is morally reprehensible”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/to-saddle-the-next-generation-with-unimaginable-debt-is-not-only/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [You know, we think about addiction as a morally reprehensible choice, but addicts act crazy because, in a way, that they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/you-know-we-think-about-addiction-as-a-morally-reprehensible-choice/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“The answer to these questions is tied to the public's attitude about suicide. For many people, suicide is morally reprehensible. It's against their religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bateson/the-answer-to-these-questions-is-tied-to-the-public-s-attitude-about/) [John Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bateson/) > [If you know something is morally reprehensible, then it is your moral obligation to stop it as soon as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/if-you-know-something-is-morally-reprehensible-then-it-is-your-moral/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [The idea that we industrialized humans are immune to the natural laws that have restrained growth in other species-and humans in past social regimes-is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/the-idea-that-we-industrialized-humans-are-immune-to-the-natural-laws/) [Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/) > [I can't tell you how many times I've had conversations with politicians who've done something morally reprehensible but not indictable, yet still think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-can-t-tell-you-how-many-times-i-ve-had-conversations-with/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) ## More by Jez Butterworth > [Writing for 'Rooster' was a strange experience. It's funny, once you tap into a voice, words just start to flow. You know when you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/writing-for-rooster-was-a-strange-experience-it-s-funny-once-you-tap/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I don't think that writers have any responsibility to be good neighbors to the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-don-t-think-that-writers-have-any-responsibility-to-be-good/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [When you have kids, you can choose to make them like you, or become like them, and if you've got something that's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/when-you-have-kids-you-can-choose-to-make-them-like-you-or-become/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [Looking back, I spent a lot of time sitting in pubs when I should have been perfecting my playwriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/looking-back-i-spent-a-lot-of-time-sitting-in-pubs-when-i-should-have/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [“I, Rooster John Byron, hereby place a curse Upon the Kennet and Avon Council, May they wander the land for ever, Never sleep twice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-rooster-john-byron-hereby-place-a-curse-upon-the-kennet-and-avon/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I grew up in a household that was very left wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-grew-up-in-a-household-that-was-very-left-wing/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [A lifetime’s work, to try and say one thing that’s true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/a-lifetime-s-work-to-try-and-say-one-thing-that-s-true/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I'm English and love England. Whenever I'm there, I'm always seeing the present but feeling its past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-m-english-and-love-england-whenever-i-m-there-i-m-always-seeing-the/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I do notice that I spend a lot of all my time steeped in different forms of myth, such as English folk music, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-do-notice-that-i-spend-a-lot-of-all-my-time-steeped-in-different/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [My father got a trade union scholarship to Oxford; he lived and breathed politics; he was always watching current-affairs programmes. But I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/my-father-got-a-trade-union-scholarship-to-oxford-he-lived-and/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I love Stewart Lee's 'Comedy Vehicle' on BBC2. The guy is a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-love-stewart-lee-s-comedy-vehicle-on-bbc2-the-guy-is-a-genius/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I actually have blissfully romantic views of marriage, because that has been my experience of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-actually-have-blissfully-romantic-views-of-marriage-because-that/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [“I may bring other women here, to this place, and I may tell them I love them, and make love to them. But they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-may-bring-other-women-here-to-this-place-and-i-may-tell-them-i-love/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I understood very little about the significance of the Tony before, but I've learned that it makes a huge significance to whether or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-understood-very-little-about-the-significance-of-the-tony-before/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) [Explore all 15 Jez Butterworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) ## More Attractive quotes > [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [A beautiful woman must expect to be more accountable for her steps, than one less attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/a-beautiful-woman-must-expect-to-be-more-accountable-for-her-steps/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [We are Bay Aryans from Berkeley: prepare to be reengineered in an attractive range of color schemes for your safety and comfort!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/we-are-bay-aryans-from-berkeley-prepare-to-be-reengineered-in-an/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [I was unusual looking - I didn't have the look of that time. If you look at 'Lucas' - and, basically, my first five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-was-unusual-looking-i-didn-t-have-the-look-of-that-time-if-you-look/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Violence is what people do when they run out of good ideas. It's attractive because it's simple, it's direct, it's almost always available as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/violence-is-what-people-do-when-they-run-out-of-good-ideas-it-s/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [I hated grunge. No one’s more feminist than me, but you don’t have to look as if you don’t give a - you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-hated-grunge-no-one-s-more-feminist-than-me-but-you-don-t-have-to/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Just be confident. Confidence is the most attractive part of a person. Because if they're not confident enough to show you who they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/just-be-confident-confidence-is-the-most-attractive-part-of-a-person/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [I think it's sort of the hypothetical point where communism and fascism meet. They love tragedy, and they love surface beauty. You just watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/i-think-it-s-sort-of-the-hypothetical-point-where-communism-and/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When you consider the sheer magnitude of investable equities to choose from in the world's emerging markets, you realize that finding one that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mobius/when-you-consider-the-sheer-magnitude-of-investable-equities-to/) [Mark Mobius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mobius/) > [“Are pervs only pervs if you don't find them attractive?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancy/are-pervs-only-pervs-if-you-don-t-find-them-attractive/) [Rick Yancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancy/) > [I've tried to stay true, in my own fashion, to the ideas of The Sex Pistols, even while I was working with bands like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-temple/i-ve-tried-to-stay-true-in-my-own-fashion-to-the-ideas-of-the-sex/) [Julien Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-temple/) > [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. The downside was sitting through 'Splatteria III: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-remember-the-early-1980s-when-i-first-got-one-of-these-fabulous/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) [Browse all 1,796 Attractive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you can write a character who is attractive but morally reprehensible, then you've got a character. 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