--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's fun to play the character and then…" description: "\"It's fun to play the character and then watch him later.\" — Michael Shanks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg" --- # It's fun to play the character and then watch him later. ![“It's fun to play the character and then watch him later.” quote by Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg) > “It's fun to play the character and then watch him later.” [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playing a role can be enjoyable, and later observing that character offers insight into one’s own behavior and choices. **In simple terms:** Enjoy acting, then reflect on the role. Key Takeaway Use role‑play to learn about yourself. Themes creativity self‑discovery play reflection Mood playful insightful Type artistic educational When to use this quote - theatre - personal development - education Key Concepts psychology performance studies Questions to Reflect On - What did you learn from playing that character? - How can role‑play improve self‑awareness? A Different Perspective May overlook the difference between performance and reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-watch-604577/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Fun Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun-play/) [Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/him/) [Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-character/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch/) [Watch Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch-later-604578/) ## Related quotes > [I'm drawn to the classic antihero, the guy who's probably made a bunch of mistakes and really has the capacity to go either way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-sutter/i-m-drawn-to-the-classic-antihero-the-guy-who-s-probably-made-a-bunch/) [Kurt Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-sutter/) > [But I would encourage anyone who has a crush on my character to watch it again and examine how selfish he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/but-i-would-encourage-anyone-who-has-a-crush-on-my-character-to-watch/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I'm gonna film my entire life and watch it later!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-m-gonna-film-my-entire-life-and-watch-it-later/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I wish I could record my dreams and watch them later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-could-record-my-dreams-and-watch-them-later/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to do anything that I would watch later and be like, 'Oh God! What was I doing?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-mathur/i-don-t-want-to-do-anything-that-i-would-watch-later-and-be-like-oh/) [Arjun Mathur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-mathur/) > [It's so fun to play a character that has so many layers that people won't even know, until the next season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/it-s-so-fun-to-play-a-character-that-has-so-many-layers-that-people/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [It's fun to play a character that you can identify with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sriti-jha/it-s-fun-to-play-a-character-that-you-can-identify-with/) [Sriti Jha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sriti-jha/) > [It's always fun to play a character that bends the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/it-s-always-fun-to-play-a-character-that-bends-the-rules/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [It's really fun to play a character that fights back and say what she means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-lapkus/it-s-really-fun-to-play-a-character-that-fights-back-and-say-what-she/) [Lauren Lapkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-lapkus/) > [There's something so fun to play about a character where at the end of the day, all she wants is for everyone to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-sennott/there-s-something-so-fun-to-play-about-a-character-where-at-the-end/) [Rachel Sennott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-sennott/) > [It's absolutely true that it's almost impossible to play a character without having any affection for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/it-s-absolutely-true-that-it-s-almost-impossible-to-play-a-character/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [I first met my husband when I was 15. He was very cool, in a band, all that kind of thing, but he took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-mcelhone/i-first-met-my-husband-when-i-was-15-he-was-very-cool-in-a-band-all/) [Natascha McElhone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-mcelhone/) > [I've been playing a lot of really strong, able woman, but I think it would be really fun to play a crazy drug addict,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-bell/i-ve-been-playing-a-lot-of-really-strong-able-woman-but-i-think-it/) [Catherine Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-bell/) > [You know, it's always fun to play the bad guy at the end of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-mcmahon/you-know-it-s-always-fun-to-play-the-bad-guy-at-the-end-of-the-day/) [Julian McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-mcmahon/) > [Usually bad guys are much more fun to play and much more interesting to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gilpin/usually-bad-guys-are-much-more-fun-to-play-and-much-more-interesting/) [John Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gilpin/) ## More by Michael Shanks > [We never thought the show would last this long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/we-never-thought-the-show-would-last-this-long/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [For some reason, it popped into my head the notion that a lot of the Next Generation cast in the long run of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/for-some-reason-it-popped-into-my-head-the-notion-that-a-lot-of-the/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [There was concern whether SCI FI would want the show back with all the recent changes. But now, the changes have made it feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/there-was-concern-whether-sci-fi-would-want-the-show-back-with-all/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [I've always found ways to bend the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-ve-always-found-ways-to-bend-the-rules/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [I think the writing on the wall is definitely there this year that this is probably our last year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-think-the-writing-on-the-wall-is-definitely-there-this-year-that/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [But I don't bet the farm on any of those possibilities, either. I'm also preparing, intelligently, to walk away from this, and walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/but-i-don-t-bet-the-farm-on-any-of-those-possibilities-either-i-m/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [Theres a way about it: tearing people down, but not tearing them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/theres-a-way-about-it-tearing-people-down-but-not-tearing-them-apart/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [I gravitate towards anything that has a grain of comedy to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-gravitate-towards-anything-that-has-a-grain-of-comedy-to-it/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [You know, if it doesn't work, we can always cut it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/you-know-if-it-doesn-t-work-we-can-always-cut-it/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [Gobbledygook may indicate a failure to think clearly, a contempt for one's clients, or more probably a mixture of both. A system that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/gobbledygook-may-indicate-a-failure-to-think-clearly-a-contempt-for/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [In the meantime, I just have to create those realistic goals about the fact that I don't have a ton of options as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/in-the-meantime-i-just-have-to-create-those-realistic-goals-about-the/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [It's absolutely true that it's almost impossible to play a character without having any affection for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/it-s-absolutely-true-that-it-s-almost-impossible-to-play-a-character/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [I find directing more satisfying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-find-directing-more-satisfying/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [I couldn't be playing him for this long if I didn't like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-couldn-t-be-playing-him-for-this-long-if-i-didn-t-like-him/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [By the end of last year we solved a lot of threads, and it's really good for this new way we're taking the show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/by-the-end-of-last-year-we-solved-a-lot-of-threads-and-it-s-really/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) [Explore all 24 Michael Shanks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) ## 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](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. 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. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's fun to play the character and then watch him later.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Shanks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then-watch-him-later/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then-watch-him-later/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/michael-shanks-24763_character_it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then_2455217.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's fun to play the character and then watch him later.” — Michael Shanks", "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 Shanks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's fun to play the character...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then-watch-him-later/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/it-s-fun-to-play-the-character-and-then-watch-him-later/#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 } } ] } ```