--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On set, the playground for the character…" description: "\"On set, the playground for the character, how much it takes varies. Is it like ballet, is it like jazz? The content always lends itself to the form, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/paul-dano-2579_ballet_on-set-the-playground-for-the-character_2613802.jpg" --- # On set, the playground for the character, how much it… ![“On set, the playground for the character, how much it takes varies. Is it like ballet, is it like jazz? The content always lends itself to the form, and it's really not mathematics.” quote by Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/paul-dano-2579_ballet_on-set-the-playground-for-the-character_2613802.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/paul-dano-2579_ballet_on-set-the-playground-for-the-character_2613802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/paul-dano-2579_ballet_on-set-the-playground-for-the-character_2613802.jpg) > “On set, the playground for the character, how much it takes varies. Is it like ballet, is it like jazz? The content always lends itself to the form, and it's really not mathematics.” [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work varies in style; the content dictates form, not strict mathematical rules. **In simple terms:** Form follows content, not math. Key Takeaway Adapt style to suit material. Themes creativity artistic process flexibility Mood analytical creative Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - theatre production - film direction - writing workshops Key Concepts aesthetics form theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you choose a style? - When is structure essential? A Different Perspective Some structures benefit from technical precision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) ## Related quotes > [Ballet is like football. I don't understand a footballer's technique but I can see when he's playing brilliantly. People don't like ballet because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-helpmann/ballet-is-like-football-i-don-t-understand-a-footballer-s-technique/) [Robert Helpmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-helpmann/) > [Tennis is more than just a sport. It's an art, like the ballet. Or like a performance in the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-tilden/tennis-is-more-than-just-a-sport-it-s-an-art-like-the-ballet-or-like/) [Bill Tilden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-tilden/) > [I think I like the artistry of the game. I still get a lot of pleasure watching the good-quality teams play, where the movements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-hodgson/i-think-i-like-the-artistry-of-the-game-i-still-get-a-lot-of-pleasure/) [Roy Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-hodgson/) > [As someone who makes his living as an actor, my routine varies almost every day. There are weeks I'm working and weeks I'm not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lange/as-someone-who-makes-his-living-as-an-actor-my-routine-varies-almost/) [Eric Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lange/) > [Finding ballet was like finding this missing piece of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/finding-ballet-was-like-finding-this-missing-piece-of-myself/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Ballet is like any other art form in that we all start out knowing nothing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/ballet-is-like-any-other-art-form-in-that-we-all-start-out-knowing/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [“The whole Esther Williams of it all. The ostrich ballet. Like pirouetting feather dusters; their paddle feet in fourth position.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/durga-chew-bose/the-whole-esther-williams-of-it-all-the-ostrich-ballet-like/) [Durga Chew-Bose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/durga-chew-bose/) > [Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/once-you-become-a-professional-to-get-through-a-ballet-like-swan-lake/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I've usually never felt comfortable shooting until things were kind of claustrophobic, but ballet dancers need a lot of space, so the sets that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-ve-usually-never-felt-comfortable-shooting-until-things-were-kind/) [Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/) > [I took ballet when I was eight, like a lot of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-rothe/i-took-ballet-when-i-was-eight-like-a-lot-of-other-people/) [Jessica Rothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-rothe/) > [I really developed an early love for ballet. Like most dancers, I am still 'first' a dancer. I'm very proud of it. Once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-harper/i-really-developed-an-early-love-for-ballet-like-most-dancers-i-am/) [Valerie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-harper/) > [Some people have heard of The Method, which originally goes back to Stanislavski... he gave you six major pointers whereby you became that character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wenham/some-people-have-heard-of-the-method-which-originally-goes-back-to/) [David Wenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wenham/) > [I'm not one of those actors who gets so taken by a role that I can't live my life. I'm the type of actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/i-m-not-one-of-those-actors-who-gets-so-taken-by-a-role-that-i-can-t/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [Yes, I am one of those people who feels that most of my work is adaptation of one sort or another. For me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/yes-i-am-one-of-those-people-who-feels-that-most-of-my-work-is/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [When a well-rounded character takes over, he doesn't lecture you about his history and how he is misunderstood. He lives his life, does things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/when-a-well-rounded-character-takes-over-he-doesn-t-lecture-you-about/) [Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/) ## More by Paul Dano > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Some projects go as you hope or imagine, and some change or reveal themselves in a different way; it depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/some-projects-go-as-you-hope-or-imagine-and-some-change-or-reveal/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I try to leave my work at the door when I leave the set. It's almost like summer camp. You go in hard, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-try-to-leave-my-work-at-the-door-when-i-leave-the-set-it-s-almost/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I dont normally like getting dressed up, but when I go to events, I like to look put together. Ive got to say, getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-dont-normally-like-getting-dressed-up-but-when-i-go-to-events-i/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Nobody is a perfect actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/nobody-is-a-perfect-actor/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [The better the acting is, the harder it is to see what the process is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/the-better-the-acting-is-the-harder-it-is-to-see-what-the-process-is/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ If you could call me buff, my version of buff was when I finished that film \[Swiss Army Man\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/if-you-could-call-me-buff-my-version-of-buff-was-when-i-finished-that/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [The only constant I can find is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/the-only-constant-i-can-find-is-hard-work/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ Reading the script \[Insane Farting Corpse\], by page two or three, I felt that way. I thought, I'm in. It was so beautiful and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/reading-the-script-insane-farting-corpse-by-page-two-or-three-i-felt/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I went to tranny bars and kind of got used to being around that and then getting dressed up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-went-to-tranny-bars-and-kind-of-got-used-to-being-around-that-and/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [ I'm really excited to share the movie \[Swiss Army Man\] with people, so I'm glad that people are seeing it. And I want them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-m-really-excited-to-share-the-movie-swiss-army-man-with-people-so-i/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I want to do some bigger films, so long as there's some sort of exciting creative element or a good filmmaker behind them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/i-want-to-do-some-bigger-films-so-long-as-there-s-some-sort-of/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [As an actor, I always feel you basically have to be able to delude yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/as-an-actor-i-always-feel-you-basically-have-to-be-able-to-delude/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [People have asked me about playing outsiders. I don't consider myself an outsider. Maybe that's why I'm interested in that. I'm not really sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/people-have-asked-me-about-playing-outsiders-i-don-t-consider-myself/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) [Explore all 160 Paul Dano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) ## More Ballet quotes > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) Peter Martins > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On set, the playground for the character, how much it takes varies. Is it like ballet, is it like jazz? 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