--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always feel like you can take a genre…" description: "\"I always feel like you can take a genre that has a familiar structure to it and then reinvent it as a character piece. Suddenly, what's old is new agai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/noah-hawley-3673_character_i-always-feel-like-you-can-take-a-genre_1747037.jpg" --- # I always feel like you can take a genre that has a… ![“I always feel like you can take a genre that has a familiar structure to it and then reinvent it as a character piece. Suddenly, what's old is new again. With 'Fargo,' I adapted a movie without any of the characters or the story. Yet somehow it feels like 'Fargo.'” quote by Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/noah-hawley-3673_character_i-always-feel-like-you-can-take-a-genre_1747037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/noah-hawley-3673_character_i-always-feel-like-you-can-take-a-genre_1747037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/noah-hawley-3673_character_i-always-feel-like-you-can-take-a-genre_1747037.jpg) > “I always feel like you can take a genre that has a familiar structure to it and then reinvent it as a character piece. Suddenly, what's old is new again. With 'Fargo,' I adapted a movie without any of the characters or the story. Yet somehow it feels like 'Fargo.'” [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. Reworking familiar genre structures can produce fresh, character‑driven stories that echo the original while feeling new. **In simple terms:** Genre templates can be reshaped into original character pieces. Key Takeaway Use known forms as a springboard for innovation. Themes creativity adaptation storytelling Mood enthusiastic reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - TV writing - film adaptation - novel development Key Concepts genre theory character focus intertextuality Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance homage with originality? - What genre structures inspire you most? A Different Perspective Risk of losing originality if the homage overshadows new content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adapted Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adapted-movie-1570790/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fargo/) [Fargo Adapted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fargo-adapted-1570789/) [Like Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-fargo-1017495/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Reinvent Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reinvent-character-1570791/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies - my taste goes much more to the offbeat and dark. I'd love to sink my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courteney-cox/i-m-not-a-huge-fan-of-romantic-comedies-my-taste-goes-much-more-to/) [Courteney Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courteney-cox/) > [I grew up in Minnesota and everyone is so nice there. It is like Fargo. Everyone's so chipper and you make friends just grocery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-grew-up-in-minnesota-and-everyone-is-so-nice-there-it-is-like-fargo/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Films like Fargo are why I love the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/films-like-fargo-are-why-i-love-the-movies/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I am an actor, and I would like to reinvent myself through every character that I portray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fahadh-faasil/i-am-an-actor-and-i-would-like-to-reinvent-myself-through-every/) [Fahadh Faasil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fahadh-faasil/) > ['Fargo' is a tragedy with a happy ending. So you need to have that tragic underpinning, that all of this could be avoidable, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/fargo-is-a-tragedy-with-a-happy-ending-so-you-need-to-have-that/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [The first conversations I had for 'Legion' were right as the first year of 'Fargo' was ending. 'Daredevil' hadn't even begun then, so when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/the-first-conversations-i-had-for-legion-were-right-as-the-first-year/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > ['Fargo' becomes a metaphor for a type of true crime case where truth is stranger than fiction. So, there's no reason that there isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/fargo-becomes-a-metaphor-for-a-type-of-true-crime-case-where-truth-is/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Making 'Fargo' for FX has been the highlight of my career. A writer can search his or her whole career for a network partner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/making-fargo-for-fx-has-been-the-highlight-of-my-career-a-writer-can/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [When I took on 'Fargo,' I thought, 'Well, this is just a terrible idea. Four people will watch it, and they'll hate-watch.' But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/when-i-took-on-fargo-i-thought-well-this-is-just-a-terrible-idea-four/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [The great thing about 'Fargo' is that it's a more objective style of filmmaking: the camera moves in very classical ways, and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/the-great-thing-about-fargo-is-that-it-s-a-more-objective-style-of/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [At least three times a week, I'm approached by someone who says something about 'Fargo.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/at-least-three-times-a-week-i-m-approached-by-someone-who-says/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [My dad was good friends with the Bad Medicine Blues Band - one of the only blues bands in Fargo, as you can imagine!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/my-dad-was-good-friends-with-the-bad-medicine-blues-band-one-of-the/) [Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/) > [If, when I leave this earth, I'm remembered for 'Fargo,' so be it. But I think old Marge Gunderson is gonna get a run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/if-when-i-leave-this-earth-i-m-remembered-for-fargo-so-be-it-but-i/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I learn from all our major competitors, whether they're in or out of the U.S. Wells Fargo is very actively, very aggressively, and very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/i-learn-from-all-our-major-competitors-whether-they-re-in-or-out-of/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [My senior year at NDSU I had started a business sweeping chimneys. The newspaper wrote a story about me as a chimney sweep and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-burgum/my-senior-year-at-ndsu-i-had-started-a-business-sweeping-chimneys-the/) [Doug Burgum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-burgum/) ## 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 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": "I always feel like you can take a genre that has a familiar structure to it and then reinvent it as a character piece. 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