--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try to discover the character's primary…" description: "\"I try to discover the character's primary motivation. In a screenplay, you can make up a hundred different variables of a character. Is he there for lo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/kurt-yaeger-71519_character_i-try-to-discover-the-character-s-primar_2745518.jpg" --- # I try to discover the character's primary motivation. In a… ![“I try to discover the character's primary motivation. In a screenplay, you can make up a hundred different variables of a character. Is he there for love or respect, or is he there out of fear? What's he doing? Why is he doing it? Then I can build on the intricacies. Does he pick his fingernails?…” quote by Kurt Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/kurt-yaeger-71519_character_i-try-to-discover-the-character-s-primar_2745518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/kurt-yaeger-71519_character_i-try-to-discover-the-character-s-primar_2745518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/681/kurt-yaeger-71519_character_i-try-to-discover-the-character-s-primar_2745518.jpg) > “I try to discover the character's primary motivation. In a screenplay, you can make up a hundred different variables of a character. Is he there for love or respect, or is he there out of fear? What's he doing? Why is he doing it? Then I can build on the intricacies. Does he pick his fingernails? Does he always do this when he's lying? All the little things that come with it. But it's also like, if you're doing a caricature and you're like, "I want to do a blue-collar guy from Jersey," you have to go and do the research on the region, the who, what and why.” [Kurt Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-yaeger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a character’s core drive—love, respect, fear—guides authentic behavior and nuanced storytelling. **In simple terms:** Find what truly motivates a character. Key Takeaway Identify core drive, then layer details. Themes character development motivation detail Mood inquisitive analytical Type educational practical When to use this quote - writing a screenplay - character analysis - casting decisions Key Concepts psychology story structure authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What single trait defines your protagonist? - How does setting influence motivation? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can stall creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Primary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-primary-3058959/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Discover Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discover-character-1368574/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Little things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-things/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Motivation Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation-screenplay-3058958/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Screenplay Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay-make-2334591/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [By the time I was doing "Kill Bill," it was so much filled with prose that, you know, I start seeing why people write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/by-the-time-i-was-doing-kill-bill-it-was-so-much-filled-with-prose/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I want to release another CD this year, finish writing a screenplay, and make another short film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-barry/i-want-to-release-another-cd-this-year-finish-writing-a-screenplay/) [Todd Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-barry/) > [In every character you play, as much as you hate to admit it as an actor, but there's an element of you that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-montgomery/in-every-character-you-play-as-much-as-you-hate-to-admit-it-as-an-2/) [Janet Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-montgomery/) > [Seeing a new face every couple of weeks is unsettling if you're trying to discover a character and actualize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kari-skogland/seeing-a-new-face-every-couple-of-weeks-is-unsettling-if-you-re/) [Kari Skogland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kari-skogland/) > [In order to discover the character of people we have only to observe what they love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-discover-the-character-of-people-we-have-only-to-observe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We discover our character through decisions under pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/we-discover-our-character-through-decisions-under-pressure/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Trifles discover a character, more than actions of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/trifles-discover-a-character-more-than-actions-of-importance/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [Acting is different from mental gymnastics. 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Everyone is well prepared in the big things, but only the winners perfect the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/little-things-make-the-difference-everyone-is-well-prepared-in-the/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“The little things really do matter. We remember the quirky things about each other and it makes us smile, think back into the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lawshe/the-little-things-really-do-matter-we-remember-the-quirky-things/) [Cathy Lawshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lawshe/) > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) ## More by Kurt Yaeger > [Originally I had a fear of rejection at the auditions, which is a lack of self-confidence ultimately. Now I have a production company and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-yaeger/originally-i-had-a-fear-of-rejection-at-the-auditions-which-is-a-lack/) [Kurt Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-yaeger/) > [Being behind the camera you have control; you have the ability to make decisions for characters, for where the story line's going to go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-yaeger/being-behind-the-camera-you-have-control-you-have-the-ability-to-make/) [Kurt Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-yaeger/) > [Acting for me is liberating. It's almost like therapy, because I grew up in a blue-collar environment where you're not supposed to have feelings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-yaeger/acting-for-me-is-liberating-it-s-almost-like-therapy-because-i-grew/) [Kurt Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-yaeger/) [Explore all 4 Kurt Yaeger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-yaeger/) ## 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. 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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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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