---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the blockbusters, people were always…"
description: "\"For the blockbusters, people were always telling me that if you write female protagonists, the boys won't go, so you have to put the boys' stuff in it ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg"
---

#  For the blockbusters, people were always telling me that…

![“For the blockbusters, people were always telling me that if you write female protagonists, the boys won't go, so you have to put the boys' stuff in it to get everybody. I write for people from 8 to 80, and that's not easy.” quote by Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg)

> “For the blockbusters, people were always telling me that if you write female protagonists, the boys won't go, so you have to put the boys' stuff in it to get everybody. I write for people from 8 to 80, and that's not easy.”

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Balancing market expectations with creative integrity, aiming to appeal across ages while challenging gender stereotypes.

**In simple terms:** Write for all ages, not just boys.

Key Takeaway

Seek broad appeal without sacrificing authenticity.

Themes

gender audience creativity industry diversity

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- film development
- scriptwriting
- publishing

Key Concepts

representation market pressure storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- How can creators honor diverse audiences?
- What compromises are acceptable for wider reach?

A Different Perspective

Risk of alienating core fans.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Female protagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female-protagonists/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Protagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protagonists/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Sometimes things just aren't of their time, and they take a minute to catch on, or they find an audience later. Sometimes bizarre little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-zombie/sometimes-things-just-aren-t-of-their-time-and-they-take-a-minute-to/)

[Rob Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-zombie/)

> [Television is often out ahead on social issues. With film, we've only recently proved that one of the oldest misconceptions in the book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-jacobson/television-is-often-out-ahead-on-social-issues-with-film-we-ve-only/)

[Nina Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-jacobson/)

> [I really get fired up with female protagonists. I can really feel the difference in myself when I am writing a script that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/i-really-get-fired-up-with-female-protagonists-i-can-really-feel-the/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [I couldn't write a female who fell to pieces every time something didn't go right in her life. She would just annoy me too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-couldn-t-write-a-female-who-fell-to-pieces-every-time-something/)

[Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/)

> [It's to a writer's advantage to contain within himself elements of each sex, or any sex. It's to his advantage because it makes him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/it-s-to-a-writer-s-advantage-to-contain-within-himself-elements-of/)

[Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/)

> [One of the main reasons I wanted to write about female friendship is because it's so powerful and underestimated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/one-of-the-main-reasons-i-wanted-to-write-about-female-friendship-is/)

[Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/)

> [I don't set out to write female lead shows, necessarily. I like deeply flawed characters. When they come to me, or when I'm introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenji-kohan/i-don-t-set-out-to-write-female-lead-shows-necessarily-i-like-deeply/)

[Jenji Kohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenji-kohan/)

> [“On Writing About Nora Hawks I write about a female character to try, in vain, to understand two things: the purpose of life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-r-miller/on-writing-about-nora-hawks-i-write-about-a-female-character-to-try/)

[Dennis R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-r-miller/)

> [I don't write about too many male businessmen, and I'm not apt to write about too many female businessmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-don-t-write-about-too-many-male-businessmen-and-i-m-not-apt-to/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [Is it easy for me to write from a female point of view? Yeah, I am a female. I'm a very sensitive type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-blanco/is-it-easy-for-me-to-write-from-a-female-point-of-view-yeah-i-am-a/)

[Benny Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-blanco/)

> [I do not think that when I write a female character, I intend to reflect my thoughts on gender equality, but I always make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sriram-raghavan/i-do-not-think-that-when-i-write-a-female-character-i-intend-to/)

[Sriram Raghavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sriram-raghavan/)

> [I grew up in a household of women, they ran the show, they kept it all together. I credit my ability to write in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-grew-up-in-a-household-of-women-they-ran-the-show-they-kept-it-all/)

[Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/)

> [“we as authors have been writing about people we aren't for forever. We find a way to empathise, we find a way in. Female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-kress/we-as-authors-have-been-writing-about-people-we-aren-t-for-forever-we/)

[Adrienne Kress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-kress/)

> [I didn't set out to write some female-empowering movie; I just wanted to write a funny college comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-cannon/i-didn-t-set-out-to-write-some-female-empowering-movie-i-just-wanted/)

[Kay Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-cannon/)

> [Crime is a very hard genre to feminise. If you have a female protagonist she is going to be looking after her mum when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-mina/crime-is-a-very-hard-genre-to-feminise-if-you-have-a-female/)

[Denise Mina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-mina/)

## More by Linda Woolverton

> [ They're \[children\] less forgiving. You have to be very conscious of the fact that they're not going to just accept things; they're going to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/they-re-children-less-forgiving-you-have-to-be-very-conscious-of-the/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [I really get fired up with female protagonists. I can really feel the difference in myself when I am writing a script that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/i-really-get-fired-up-with-female-protagonists-i-can-really-feel-the/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [“I told you she was the wrong Alice... You've lost your muchness… Hatter!!!! Off With Their Head!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/i-told-you-she-was-the-wrong-alice-you-ve-lost-your-muchness-hatter/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [ You can't go down anybody else's \[road\]. It's your dream; it's your life. You don't have to be told by other people what to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/you-can-t-go-down-anybody-else-s-road-it-s-your-dream-it-s-your-life/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [Even when I'm writing animation, I think of them as real people. I think of them as completely three-dimensional beings, even if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/even-when-i-m-writing-animation-i-think-of-them-as-real-people-i/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [The first draft you're pretty much on your own, so I love that. I can let my imagination go wild. I just go crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/the-first-draft-you-re-pretty-much-on-your-own-so-i-love-that-i-can/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [I have a children's theater background, so I grew up performing for child audiences; it's sort of my specialty. I know the child audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/i-have-a-children-s-theater-background-so-i-grew-up-performing-for/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

> [I am a feminist, and I didn't think women would accept a throwback heroine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/i-am-a-feminist-and-i-didn-t-think-women-would-accept-a-throwback/)

[Linda Woolverton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

[Explore all 9 Linda Woolverton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/)

## More Blockbuster quotes

> [For me, there's cinema, which I love and would fight for, and then there's also entertainment, and I see them as very, very different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-martin/for-me-there-s-cinema-which-i-love-and-would-fight-for-and-then-there/)

[Stacy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-martin/)

> [I've always longed for the theatre and acting to be popular. No actor wants to play to an empty house. We only do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-ve-always-longed-for-the-theatre-and-acting-to-be-popular-no-actor/)

[Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/)

> [I've found myself moved by letters and diaries in archives as well as trashy, summer blockbusters. It's possible to make a connection with any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-ve-found-myself-moved-by-letters-and-diaries-in-archives-as-well-as/)

[Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/)

> [Being at the pinnacle of my career is not to turn up in some multiplex blockbuster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reilly/being-at-the-pinnacle-of-my-career-is-not-to-turn-up-in-some/)

[Kelly Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reilly/)

> [The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-fani-kayode/the-problem-that-we-have-is-the-president-himself-a-president-who/)

Femi Fani-Kayode

> [We've kind of grown up in a post-Star Wars era, and what Star Wars did to cinema, in terms of an explosion of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/we-ve-kind-of-grown-up-in-a-post-star-wars-era-and-what-star-wars-did/)

[Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/)

> [Comparing Apple to Netflix is like comparing apples to oranges, especially if the oranges made so many mistakes that people stopped eating oranges and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/comparing-apple-to-netflix-is-like-comparing-apples-to-oranges/)

[Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/)

> [The theater business is very much about "Hey, if you want our big blockbuster at Christmas time, you'll play our piece of crap in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/the-theater-business-is-very-much-about-hey-if-you-want-our-big/)

[Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/)

> [I think Paul Newman had an amazing career. I also love what Tom Hanks has done. He has always made very grounded movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-duhamel/i-think-paul-newman-had-an-amazing-career-i-also-love-what-tom-hanks/)

[Josh Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-duhamel/)

> [One of the more noble things the Oscars can do is pay attention to movies no one knows about. Blockbusters don't need much help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-daniels/one-of-the-more-noble-things-the-oscars-can-do-is-pay-attention-to/)

[Jeff Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-daniels/)

> [I want to diversify a bit. I don't wanna throw myself into another big blockbuster or another big franchise anytime soon. So smaller films,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-want-to-diversify-a-bit-i-don-t-wanna-throw-myself-into-another-big/)

[Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/)

> [For years, Blockbuster Video has edited movies. Like The Bad Lieutenant, when he's masturbating while the girls in the car are doing the thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/for-years-blockbuster-video-has-edited-movies-like-the-bad-lieutenant/)

[Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/)

> [Maybe It's not the biggest blockbuster film, but there will be some people that will see it, that will be debating it, that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eriq-la-salle/maybe-it-s-not-the-biggest-blockbuster-film-but-there-will-be-some/)

[Eriq La Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eriq-la-salle/)

> [To do a blockbuster that isn't stressful is a delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-broadbent/to-do-a-blockbuster-that-isn-t-stressful-is-a-delight/)

[Jim Broadbent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-broadbent/)

> [Well, look at all of these summer blockbusters. You can't help but laugh a little, because you've already seen a lot of these movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/well-look-at-all-of-these-summer-blockbusters-you-can-t-help-but/)

[Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/)

Browse all 139 Blockbuster quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For the blockbusters, people were always telling me that if you write female protagonists, the boys won't go, so you have to put the boys' stuff in it to get everybody. I write for people from 8 to 80, and that's not easy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Linda Woolverton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always-telling-me-that-if-you-write/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blockbuster"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always-telling-me-that-if-you-write/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/linda-woolverton-43712_blockbuster_for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always_1977939.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For the blockbusters, people were always telling me that if you write female protagonists, the boys won't…” — Linda Woolverton",
                "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": "Linda Woolverton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-woolverton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For the blockbusters, people were always...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always-telling-me-that-if-you-write/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-woolverton/for-the-blockbusters-people-were-always-telling-me-that-if-you-write/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
