--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But when you get to know a character so…" description: "\"But when you get to know a character so well, you start to have insights that you can't show because you're confined to your script of your hit show.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/john-lloyd-young-24154_character_but-when-you-get-to-know-a-character-so_1333008.jpg" --- # But when you get to know a character so well, you start to… ![“But when you get to know a character so well, you start to have insights that you can't show because you're confined to your script of your hit show.” quote by John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/john-lloyd-young-24154_character_but-when-you-get-to-know-a-character-so_1333008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/john-lloyd-young-24154_character_but-when-you-get-to-know-a-character-so_1333008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/john-lloyd-young-24154_character_but-when-you-get-to-know-a-character-so_1333008.jpg) > “But when you get to know a character so well, you start to have insights that you can't show because you're confined to your script of your hit show.” [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deep character knowledge can reveal hidden truths, but script constraints limit expression. **In simple terms:** Know characters deeply, but scripts can restrict sharing. Key Takeaway Find ways to express insights beyond the script. Themes creativity character study expression Mood thoughtful artistic Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - theatre workshops - writing exercises - directed improvisation - actor collaboration Key Concepts method acting narrative limits artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - What creative outlets can you use to explore character depth? - How can you negotiate script flexibility? A Different Perspective Balancing authenticity with commercial expectations can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [For me there's always a line or two in a script, when you hit it you almost decide to do the whole movie off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/for-me-there-s-always-a-line-or-two-in-a-script-when-you-hit-it-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [There's one great script that hit my desk that I didn't change at all, and that was True Romance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/there-s-one-great-script-that-hit-my-desk-that-i-didn-t-change-at-all/) [Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/) > [I think Frankie Valli did everything right. He kept singing. And you also have to remember, he was confined to a certain society, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/i-think-frankie-valli-did-everything-right-he-kept-singing-and-you/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [Great actors can transform, but sometimes there's just this person who speaks right to the role. When they walk in the room, you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leitch/great-actors-can-transform-but-sometimes-there-s-just-this-person-who/) [David Leitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leitch/) > [When I'm not working, I don't get my hair cut. I don't know what the next character looks like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-spader/when-i-m-not-working-i-don-t-get-my-hair-cut-i-don-t-know-what-the/) [James Spader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-spader/) > [To have one's own story told by a third party who doesn't know that the character in question is himself the hero of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/to-have-one-s-own-story-told-by-a-third-party-who-doesn-t-know-that/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [There are not that many jobs as an actor where you don't get to know what your character will be doing from episode to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/there-are-not-that-many-jobs-as-an-actor-where-you-don-t-get-to-know/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [You get the part, sign the contract and start to realize millions of people follow this guy and know more about your character than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hemsworth/you-get-the-part-sign-the-contract-and-start-to-realize-millions-of/) [Chris Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hemsworth/) > [On a TV show, you don't know where the character is going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morrison/on-a-tv-show-you-don-t-know-where-the-character-is-going/) [Matthew Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-morrison/) > [You've got to leave the reader with more than just a name and a costume - they need to know who the character is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/you-ve-got-to-leave-the-reader-with-more-than-just-a-name-and-a/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [I always say it takes three weeks to know a character and three months to own it. And I think that's probably true of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stokes-mitchell/i-always-say-it-takes-three-weeks-to-know-a-character-and-three/) [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stokes-mitchell/) > [I think the ultimate goal is that when we're off-stage, we know everything our character is thinking. Hopefully when we are on-stage, our thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-steele/i-think-the-ultimate-goal-is-that-when-we-re-off-stage-we-know/) [Sarah Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-steele/) > [“I know that character exists from the outside alone. I know that inside the body there's just temperature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-know-that-character-exists-from-the-outside-alone-i-know-that/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I'm not the kind of actor that would know what my character had for breakfast last Tuesday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-m-not-the-kind-of-actor-that-would-know-what-my-character-had-for/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Your character is who you are. To understand yourself is to know your character. To love yourself is to love your character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-character-is-who-you-are-to-understand-yourself-is-to-know-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Lloyd Young > [When you look at sort of pop stardom now, some of these singers, it seems like the idea of them was created in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/when-you-look-at-sort-of-pop-stardom-now-some-of-these-singers-it/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [The thing early on that you think is 'wrong' with you, that makes you not fit in with everyone else, becomes the key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/the-thing-early-on-that-you-think-is-wrong-with-you-that-makes-you/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [I'm looking for smart friends all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/i-m-looking-for-smart-friends-all-the-time/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [My mother died of cystic fibrosis before I knew her. I was two years old, and I don't remember her. I do remember, though,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/my-mother-died-of-cystic-fibrosis-before-i-knew-her-i-was-two-years/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [I did have a falsetto, but I only used it when I was joking around with friends or to annoy my girlfriends, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/i-did-have-a-falsetto-but-i-only-used-it-when-i-was-joking-around/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [During 'Jersey Boys,' I discovered one of the most rewarding ways to use your goodwill is to motivate fans and friends into lending support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/during-jersey-boys-i-discovered-one-of-the-most-rewarding-ways-to-use/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [I approach the singing kind of like with dialect thoughts in my mind. I have to sound like this on certain things to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/i-approach-the-singing-kind-of-like-with-dialect-thoughts-in-my-mind/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [I think Frankie Valli did everything right. He kept singing. 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So when I approached the singing, I approached it the same way as an actor I approach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/i-don-t-have-a-jersey-dialect-so-when-i-approached-the-singing-i/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [It's funny - Frankie Valli's story and that advice that he was just getting from, you know, Christopher Walken's character, is very true for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/it-s-funny-frankie-valli-s-story-and-that-advice-that-he-was-just/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) [Explore all 25 John Lloyd Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) ## 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. 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