--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always would be happy to make a…" description: "\"I always would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go there, you get into a very different kind ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png" --- # I always would be happy to make a character even more… ![“I always would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go there, you get into a very different kind of movie, man.” quote by Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png) > “I always would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go there, you get into a very different kind of movie, man.” [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pushing a character’s flaws too far changes a film’s tone, highlighting limits of audience tolerance. **In simple terms:** Too much unlikable traits alter a movie. Key Takeaway Balance character depth with audience empathy. Themes character development film audience perception Mood analytical thoughtful Type cinematic critical When to use this quote - screenwriting - acting workshops - film criticism Key Concepts moral ambiguity genre expectations Questions to Reflect On - Where is the line between realism and alienation? - Can unlikable characters still be compelling? A Different Perspective Excessive negativity can alienate viewers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) ## Related quotes > [I've had male executives say that my lead character was unlikable because she slept with a lot of guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/i-ve-had-male-executives-say-that-my-lead-character-was-unlikable/) [Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/) > [I'm just attracted to playing people who are ostensible unlikable. That's not to say that there's something in there that makes you care. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-just-attracted-to-playing-people-who-are-ostensible-unlikable/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [There are establishment Republicans who think Ted Cruz is not a likable guy. I don't understand that. I've had occasion to meet him twice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-are-establishment-republicans-who-think-ted-cruz-is-not-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [When a woman creates an unlikable character, a lot of people think it's a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/when-a-woman-creates-an-unlikable-character-a-lot-of-people-think-it/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I'll be able to pull off playing an unlikable character because inherently, I think I'm likable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stamos/i-ll-be-able-to-pull-off-playing-an-unlikable-character-because/) [John Stamos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stamos/) > [I don't approach a role by saying I'll be unsavory or unlikable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rooker/i-don-t-approach-a-role-by-saying-i-ll-be-unsavory-or-unlikable/) [Michael Rooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rooker/) > [I don't approach a role by saying I'll be unsavory or unlikable. I think all the roles I've done have been very passionate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rooker/i-don-t-approach-a-role-by-saying-i-ll-be-unsavory-or-unlikable-i/) [Michael Rooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rooker/) > [“If you are a person who has always been liked, it is hard to understand why you have, without changing a thing about yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/if-you-are-a-person-who-has-always-been-liked-it-is-hard-to/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I think one of my big skills is making unlikable characters likable or real in some way. No matter how hateful people are, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-think-one-of-my-big-skills-is-making-unlikable-characters-likable/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [“But of course Anton turned out to be brave and strong, and so he died while he was still unlikable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-blackwell/but-of-course-anton-turned-out-to-be-brave-and-strong-and-so-he-died/) [Elise Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elise-blackwell/) > [I don't think that because you are a perfectionist that that makes you necessarily automatically unlikable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/i-don-t-think-that-because-you-are-a-perfectionist-that-that-makes/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [“What is so broken about me? So unlikable? Why does it still hurt?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-remender/what-is-so-broken-about-me-so-unlikable-why-does-it-still-hurt/) [Rick Remender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-remender/) > [I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-completely-unlikable/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It's my first sort of commercial attempt, but it made sense for me because I'm not that kind of guy and I'm not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/it-s-my-first-sort-of-commercial-attempt-but-it-made-sense-for-me/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) ## More by Paul Giamatti > [Lead roles are fun, but I'm especially happy other, more colorful supporting stuff has come along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/lead-roles-are-fun-but-i-m-especially-happy-other-more-colorful/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [Somehow whatever I play ends up being sleazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/somehow-whatever-i-play-ends-up-being-sleazy/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [It'd be disingenuous to say I don't like attention - I'm an actor for God's sake - and it's flattering and all, but attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/it-d-be-disingenuous-to-say-i-don-t-like-attention-i-m-an-actor-for/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I'm not a big wine guy. And bars, I never go to bars anymore. It's such a drag, man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-m-not-a-big-wine-guy-and-bars-i-never-go-to-bars-anymore-it-s-such/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [Well, you know, when people say stuff about you, it's always really flattering. But does it mean anything to me? It's not really real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/well-you-know-when-people-say-stuff-about-you-it-s-always-really/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I suppose there must be some way in which I'm compelled to show some side of myself - or of people - that's paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-suppose-there-must-be-some-way-in-which-i-m-compelled-to-show-some/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [As an actor, to have achieved financial stability is amazing. But I always have this weird fear that I'm not going to get any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/as-an-actor-to-have-achieved-financial-stability-is-amazing-but-i/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [Academia is a rarified culture, especially an Ivy League academic background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/academia-is-a-rarified-culture-especially-an-ivy-league-academic/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [Maybe it's because I have too much pride or self-respect, but I thought, 'Why does a guy who has thinning hair and who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/maybe-it-s-because-i-have-too-much-pride-or-self-respect-but-i/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I've very critical of myself, and film has been an adjustment for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-ve-very-critical-of-myself-and-film-has-been-an-adjustment-for-me/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I'd like to have permanent time off, really. The goal is financial security and permanent time off, basically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-d-like-to-have-permanent-time-off-really-the-goal-is-financial/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [ My definition of likeable may be different from other people's. That's not traditional likeable. Sympathy is a different thing \[to define it\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/my-definition-of-likeable-may-be-different-from-other-people-s-that-s/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I don't mind being stereotyped in some way and playing certain kinds of guys, but if I can find something to occasionally get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-don-t-mind-being-stereotyped-in-some-way-and-playing-certain-kinds/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I definitely have a tendency to only see the blemishes of things, and see lots of things about my acting that I don't like.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-definitely-have-a-tendency-to-only-see-the-blemishes-of-things-and/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [And I asked my mother 'can I touch the lady in the water? And she said yes I could, but I had to touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/and-i-asked-my-mother-can-i-touch-the-lady-in-the-water-and-she-said/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) [Explore all 53 Paul Giamatti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) ## 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 > [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 would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go there, you get into a very different kind of movie, man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Giamatti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-character-even-more-unlikable-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-character-even-more-unlikable-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e3/paul-giamatti-12727_character_i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-charac_2158952.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go…” — Paul Giamatti", "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": "Paul Giamatti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always would be happy to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-character-even-more-unlikable-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-character-even-more-unlikable-but/#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 } } ] } ```