--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having written for film and television, I…" description: "\"Having written for film and television, I had little interest in turning 'The Good Father' into a Hollywood thriller. I was writing a novel, and novels..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/noah-hawley-3673_father_having-written-for-film-and-television-i_1113799.jpg" --- # Having written for film and television, I had little… ![“Having written for film and television, I had little interest in turning 'The Good Father' into a Hollywood thriller. I was writing a novel, and novels demand that the writer goes deeper, both emotionally and thematically.” quote by Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/noah-hawley-3673_father_having-written-for-film-and-television-i_1113799.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/noah-hawley-3673_father_having-written-for-film-and-television-i_1113799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/noah-hawley-3673_father_having-written-for-film-and-television-i_1113799.jpg) > “Having written for film and television, I had little interest in turning 'The Good Father' into a Hollywood thriller. I was writing a novel, and novels demand that the writer goes deeper, both emotionally and thematically.” [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He preferred novel depth over cinematic thrills, valuing emotional and thematic richness. **In simple terms:** Novel depth over film hype. Key Takeaway Prioritize depth in storytelling. Themes creativity depth artistic integrity Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary artistic When to use this quote - writing a novel - adapting a story - creative decision making - balancing medium expectations - seeking thematic depth Key Concepts novel writing film adaptation emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - How does medium shape narrative depth? - When is a thriller appropriate? A Different Perspective Film may reach wider audiences quickly but can limit nuanced exploration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Good father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-father/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Thriller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thriller/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ We thought by setting the film \["Selling Isobel"\] in the cloak of... let's call it an indie-Hollywood thriller, it would appeal to a wider… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-buitendach/we-thought-by-setting-the-film-selling-isobel-in-the-cloak-of-let-s/) [Rudolf Buitendach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-buitendach/) > [Throat clutching from the outset! The Never List stands as a sterling example of psychological thriller writing at its best. Cancel appointments and give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/throat-clutching-from-the-outset-the-never-list-stands-as-a-sterling/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [There are three things I look for in a story - it has to be a thriller; I cannot see myself writing literary fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/there-are-three-things-i-look-for-in-a-story-it-has-to-be-a-thriller/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [The only music I've ever written was for a film called Frank, and the idea was that it was the worst music in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/the-only-music-i-ve-ever-written-was-for-a-film-called-frank-and-the/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [The good thing about directing a screenplay that you've written is that you see the film in your head as you're writing it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-whannell/the-good-thing-about-directing-a-screenplay-that-you-ve-written-is/) [Leigh Whannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-whannell/) > [There are people who've told me cinema is a visual medium and you don't need to say so much. When I write the script,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautham-menon/there-are-people-who-ve-told-me-cinema-is-a-visual-medium-and-you-don/) [Gautham Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautham-menon/) > [Novels written with film contracts in mind have a faint but unmistakable, and ruinous, odor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/novels-written-with-film-contracts-in-mind-have-a-faint-but/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [When you've written a film and directed it and it comes out exactly as you imagined it, it's pretty boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/when-you-ve-written-a-film-and-directed-it-and-it-comes-out-exactly/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [I could, of course, have written about the film world and the jealousy there and the frequent belief that others don't have talent. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-could-of-course-have-written-about-the-film-world-and-the-jealousy/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [I'd love to have written a film and it to be regarded as good. I'd just like to be doing things that are good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-corden/i-d-love-to-have-written-a-film-and-it-to-be-regarded-as-good-i-d/) [James Corden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-corden/) > [If you have written something that the film people want, like a book, it does give you a way in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/if-you-have-written-something-that-the-film-people-want-like-a-book/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [Let me be clear. 'The Good Father' isn't a handbook on how to assassinate the president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/let-me-be-clear-the-good-father-isn-t-a-handbook-on-how-to/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [The last thing you want is to be desperate in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/the-last-thing-you-want-is-to-be-desperate-in-hollywood/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I try to be a good father, and my kids are the most important thing in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wagner-moura/i-try-to-be-a-good-father-and-my-kids-are-the-most-important-thing-in/) [Wagner Moura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wagner-moura/) > [I don't want my kids growing up with the image of God that I had -- Plato's white grandfatherly god -- because that god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-don-t-want-my-kids-growing-up-with-the-image-of-god-that-i-had/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) ## More by Noah Hawley > [It's always very important to me to try to create a story that feels unpredictable. You can't jump ahead and see what's coming, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/it-s-always-very-important-to-me-to-try-to-create-a-story-that-feels/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [A two-hour movie tends to be a plot-delivery device; you tend to have to introduce all the characters, say what the goal is, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/a-two-hour-movie-tends-to-be-a-plot-delivery-device-you-tend-to-have/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [For some reason, I tend to take on the stuff that people are really passionate about. If you make a list of people you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/for-some-reason-i-tend-to-take-on-the-stuff-that-people-are-really/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [One of the things that I've always appreciated about the 'X-Men' style of storytelling versus other Marvel stories is how fluid the line between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-that-i-ve-always-appreciated-about-the-x-men-style/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [One of the things I've always loved about genre, comic books, science fiction and fantasy is that there's a certain level of playfulness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-loved-about-genre-comic-books-science/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [What's great is that each medium has a unique set of things that it does and does well. Film is a visual medium, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/what-s-great-is-that-each-medium-has-a-unique-set-of-things-that-it/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I think that we're pattern-seeking animals, and what we like best is a story where everything fits together, where there's no puzzle pieces left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-that-we-re-pattern-seeking-animals-and-what-we-like-best-is-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Obviously, when you do something with drama and comedy in it - and by that, I mean a scene that has drama and comedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/obviously-when-you-do-something-with-drama-and-comedy-in-it-and-by/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [The last thing you want is to be desperate in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/the-last-thing-you-want-is-to-be-desperate-in-hollywood/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I'm not that guy who thinks I have all the answers. Writing is a means of communicating, and if enough people say, 'I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-m-not-that-guy-who-thinks-i-have-all-the-answers-writing-is-a-means/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I think a writer's first job is to entertain, even in novels: to tell a compelling story that pulls the reader along toward an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-a-writer-s-first-job-is-to-entertain-even-in-novels-to-tell-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [I think for really good-hearted people, that idea of putting yourself in the shoes of a monster to figure out why they acted that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-for-really-good-hearted-people-that-idea-of-putting-yourself/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > ['Downton Abbey' didn't have the impact it had just because it was a good story about people. It was something about that period and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/downton-abbey-didn-t-have-the-impact-it-had-just-because-it-was-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Making a new season for 'Legion' is not something you just switch into. It's not something you do between dropping the kids off in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/making-a-new-season-for-legion-is-not-something-you-just-switch-into/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [It's amazing how flexible the human mind is in terms of jumping into a backstory or an aside. Vonnegut is a great example -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/it-s-amazing-how-flexible-the-human-mind-is-in-terms-of-jumping-into/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) [Explore all 124 Noah Hawley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) ## More Father quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) > [“My father called twice and left a voicemail—who does that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/my-father-called-twice-and-left-a-voicemail-who-does-that/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/) [Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/) > [“I don’t know. We all have to bear things, Ari. All of us. Your father has to bear the war and what it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-we-all-have-to-bear-things-ari-all-of-us-your-father-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This was, I sometimes thought, the last gift my father gave me. And the best: His death stood out as the supreme-o excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-was-i-sometimes-thought-the-last-gift-my-father-gave-me-and-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [My father was very encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/my-father-was-very-encouraging/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) [Browse all 19,784 Father quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Having written for film and television, I had little interest in turning 'The Good Father' into a Hollywood thriller. 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