--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're playing this bad of a…" description: "\"When you're playing this bad of a character, it's obviously not reality for someone who's not living that life.\" — Michael Rapaport" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png" --- # When you're playing this bad of a character, it's… ![“When you're playing this bad of a character, it's obviously not reality for someone who's not living that life.” quote by Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png) > “When you're playing this bad of a character, it's obviously not reality for someone who's not living that life.” [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the disconnect between portraying a flawed character and the audience's perception, especially for those unfamiliar with that lifestyle. **In simple terms:** Playing a bad character feels unreal to outsiders. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between performance and reality. Themes acting perception authenticity Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical insightful When to use this quote - film set - audience reception - actor preparation Key Concepts method acting character immersion Questions to Reflect On - How does an actor bridge reality and performance? - What responsibilities do actors have to portray truthfully? A Different Perspective The audience may still empathize despite the disconnect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-character/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Obviously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-obviously-462379/) [Iconic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iconic/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Obviously Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obviously-reality-504777/) [Playing Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-bad/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-living-504778/) ## Related quotes > [Judaism is a big part of my background, obviously, and my reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-kasher/judaism-is-a-big-part-of-my-background-obviously-and-my-reality/) [Moshe Kasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-kasher/) > [I don't know if I am cut out to playing a bad character or not - I really should give it a shot. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/i-don-t-know-if-i-am-cut-out-to-playing-a-bad-character-or-not-i/) [Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/) > [You are playing a character obviously, and everything you are saying is filtered through that person. It is not you that is saying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-louise-plowman/you-are-playing-a-character-obviously-and-everything-you-are-saying/) [Anna-Louise Plowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-louise-plowman/) > [It's always interesting to play a character that obviously has a secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/it-s-always-interesting-to-play-a-character-that-obviously-has-a/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [I think I think in the moment. So when I'm in character, I'm in character, and I'm obviously thinking about what's going on around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-baron-cohen/i-think-i-think-in-the-moment-so-when-i-m-in-character-i-m-in/) [Sacha Baron Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-baron-cohen/) > [You know my character, I'm obviously that sexy-hot bombshell that nobody else has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/you-know-my-character-i-m-obviously-that-sexy-hot-bombshell-that/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [“Only then, when no situation or character is obviously good or evil, is it truly interesting to act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/only-then-when-no-situation-or-character-is-obviously-good-or-evil-is/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [“Running from reality and living in the pages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dreamer-girl/running-from-reality-and-living-in-the-pages/) [Dreamer Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dreamer-girl/) > [“The real lessons is the reality of living life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-real-lessons-is-the-reality-of-living-life/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I cant imagine life without him, when in reality I have lived a wonderful life before I knew him.. this is my reality for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cant-imagine-life-without-him-when-in-reality-i-have-lived-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Reality. It’s not living a lie like so many of the people we know have done. It’s not treating life like a game of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-murphy/reality-it-s-not-living-a-lie-like-so-many-of-the-people-we-know-have/) [Monica Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-murphy/) > [Science is part of the reality of living; it is the what, the how, and the why of everything in our experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/science-is-part-of-the-reality-of-living-it-is-the-what-the-how-and/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [I live in New York now, and miss France quite a bit. Of course, the reality of living in a small village in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-trussoni/i-live-in-new-york-now-and-miss-france-quite-a-bit-of-course-the/) [Danielle Trussoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-trussoni/) > [“You’re going to have to just let everything go, otherwise you will make yourself crazy. Everything that we have ever been taught is wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-t-night/you-re-going-to-have-to-just-let-everything-go-otherwise-you-will/) [H.T. Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-t-night/) > [Before you can live anything, in what you are calling physical manifestation - you have to have conjured it in vibrational form. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/before-you-can-live-anything-in-what-you-are-calling-physical/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) ## More by Michael Rapaport > [I'm a New York person. I've never gone out of the way to speak to the press to change my persona - I probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/i-m-a-new-york-person-i-ve-never-gone-out-of-the-way-to-speak-to-the/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Like any family, like any group - the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, EPMD, Public Enemy - they've had bumps in the road. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/like-any-family-like-any-group-the-beatles-led-zeppelin-epmd-public/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [I love doing things that are titillating. I think race can be very funny, and I think I'm very comfortable discussing it and bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/i-love-doing-things-that-are-titillating-i-think-race-can-be-very/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [At the end of the day, my sole goal, when I go into any scene, is to try to be as honest as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/at-the-end-of-the-day-my-sole-goal-when-i-go-into-any-scene-is-to-try/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [To be able to play somebody that says and does pretty much whatever he wants is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/to-be-able-to-play-somebody-that-says-and-does-pretty-much-whatever/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Being a good rapper is hard to do. I'm a good Rapaport, but that's about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/being-a-good-rapper-is-hard-to-do-i-m-a-good-rapaport-but-that-s/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [I see these other actors come up with this tough-guy personas and now when they're on talk shows they're all... But that's not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/i-see-these-other-actors-come-up-with-this-tough-guy-personas-and-now/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Were there certain things that I didn't feel were dignified enough to make it into the movie? Yeah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/were-there-certain-things-that-i-didn-t-feel-were-dignified-enough-to/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you've been drinking Jack and Coke all morning. She can make you feel high full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/a-beautiful-girl-can-make-you-dizzy-like-you-ve-been-drinking-jack/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [If my son was an actor I would tell him, "Don't let people know as much about you as I let people know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/if-my-son-was-an-actor-i-would-tell-him-don-t-let-people-know-as-much/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Sometimes you know about a job four months in advance. Sometimes you know about a job four days in advance. It's all different, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/sometimes-you-know-about-a-job-four-months-in-advance-sometimes-you/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Socially, hip-hop has done more for racial camaraderie in this country than any one thing. 'Cause guys like me, my kids - everyone under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/socially-hip-hop-has-done-more-for-racial-camaraderie-in-this-country/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [When I was a kid, my first favorite song was probably Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/when-i-was-a-kid-my-first-favorite-song-was-probably-lou-reed-s-walk/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Honestly, I'm not listening to much of what's going on today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/honestly-i-m-not-listening-to-much-of-what-s-going-on-today/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [A Tribe Called Quest music was so inclusive, so conscious, it brought such a community together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/a-tribe-called-quest-music-was-so-inclusive-so-conscious-it-brought/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) [Explore all 42 Michael Rapaport quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) ## More Bad character quotes > [There are good characters and bad characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-stone/there-are-good-characters-and-bad-characters/) [Matt Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-stone/) > [Love of peace is common among weak, short-sighted, timid, and lazy persons; and on the other hand courage is found among many men of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/love-of-peace-is-common-among-weak-short-sighted-timid-and-lazy/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [A man of bad character punishes his own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ghazali/a-man-of-bad-character-punishes-his-own-soul/) [Al-Ghazali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ghazali/) > [Babies are born with neither good nor bad character. Normal people - as they grow, learn and are trained - develop better or worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-j-delattre/babies-are-born-with-neither-good-nor-bad-character-normal-people-as/) [Edwin J Delattre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-j-delattre/) > [Reputation is seeming; character is being. Reputation is manufactured; character is grown. Reputation is your photograph; There is a vast difference between character and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stuart-macarthur/reputation-is-seeming-character-is-being-reputation-is-manufactured/) [Robert Stuart MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stuart-macarthur/) > [I didn't want to be greedy. It's a mark of bad character and I always believed that pigs go the slaughterhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-annenberg/i-didn-t-want-to-be-greedy-it-s-a-mark-of-bad-character-and-i-always/) [Walter Annenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-annenberg/) > [“With 6 children Darya Alexandrovna could not be calm. One got sick, another might get sick, a third lacked something, a fourth showed signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/with-6-children-darya-alexandrovna-could-not-be-calm-one-got-sick/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We have to keep company with supposedly bad characters if we are to survive and not succumb to mental atrophy. People of good character,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/we-have-to-keep-company-with-supposedly-bad-characters-if-we-are-to/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [The old woman was not only ugly with the ugliness age brings us all but showed signs of formidable ugliness by birth - pickle-jar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-old-woman-was-not-only-ugly-with-the-ugliness-age-brings-us-all/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-inglis-anderson/bad-things-do-happen-how-i-respond-to-them-defines-my-character-and/) [Walter Inglis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-inglis-anderson/) > [I've always found that it's such an emotional experience, trying to find the good parts of a bad character or the bad parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milla-jovovich/i-ve-always-found-that-it-s-such-an-emotional-experience-trying-to/) [Milla Jovovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milla-jovovich/) > [I keep as far from children as possible. I don't like the size of them; the scale is all wrong. The head tends to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-keep-as-far-from-children-as-possible-i-don-t-like-the-size-of-them/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The most important in movie is having a bad character; Not the Hero and the Heroine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-important-in-movie-is-having-a-bad-character-not-the-hero/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“O que não falta por aí é gente disposta a fazer cretinice a vida toda.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-moreno/o-que-n-o-falta-por-a-gente-disposta-a-fazer-cretinice-a-vida-toda/) [Max Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-moreno/) > [Make your faces so that they do not all have the same expression, as one sees with most painters, but give them different expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/make-your-faces-so-that-they-do-not-all-have-the-same-expression-as/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) [Browse all 42 Bad character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're playing this bad of a character, it's obviously not reality for someone who's not living that life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Rapaport" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-character-it-s-obviously-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-character-it-s-obviously-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/michael-rapaport-15729_bad-character_when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-charac_1633469.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you're playing this bad of a character, it's obviously not reality for someone who's not living that…” — Michael Rapaport", "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": "Michael Rapaport", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you're playing this bad of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-character-it-s-obviously-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/when-you-re-playing-this-bad-of-a-character-it-s-obviously-not/#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 } } ] } ```