--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These people I play are not usually…" description: "\"These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.\" — Timothy Spall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png" --- # These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment… ![“These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.” quote by Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png) > “These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.” [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker notes that the characters they portray lack the idealized, escapist qualities often found in fantasy or wish‑fulfilling narratives. **In simple terms:** Characters are grounded, not idealized. Key Takeaway Realistic roles resist fantasy tropes. Themes realism character depth narrative authenticity genre expectations Mood thoughtful serious reflective Type observation critique When to use this quote - acting in gritty dramas - playing anti‑heroes - portraying everyday people - performing in realistic settings Key Concepts characterization storytelling audience perception Practical Applications - choose scripts that prioritize authenticity - use grounded characters to explore complex themes Questions to Reflect On - How does realism affect audience connection? - What challenges arise when avoiding wish‑fulfillment? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [ Dave \[Holland\] plays the way he wants to play. And it's usually what's needed. You know, Dave is such a deep thinker. You can't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/dave-holland-plays-the-way-he-wants-to-play-and-it-s-usually-what-s/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [Carlos plays a very, very high level, as I do, and the rhythm of the match is quite fast so you have less time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/carlos-plays-a-very-very-high-level-as-i-do-and-the-rhythm-of-the/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [When I play well, it is usually when I am in the centre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-muller/when-i-play-well-it-is-usually-when-i-am-in-the-centre/) [Thomas Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-muller/) > [Whenever I play with him , I usually try to make it a foursome - the President, myself, a paramedic and a faith healer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/whenever-i-play-with-him-i-usually-try-to-make-it-a-foursome-the/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [When you play well you usually win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-bravo/when-you-play-well-you-usually-win/) [Claudio Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-bravo/) > [I don't really ever think in terms of what type of person I'd love to play. I usually just read stuff and can tell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bowles/i-don-t-really-ever-think-in-terms-of-what-type-of-person-i-d-love-to-2/) [Lauren Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bowles/) > [I don't really ever think in terms of what type of person I'd love to play. I usually just read stuff and can tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bowles/i-don-t-really-ever-think-in-terms-of-what-type-of-person-i-d-love-to/) [Lauren Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bowles/) > [When you are younger, you are running on that pure naive adrenalin, you don't have any real responsibility aside from making sure you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-taylor/when-you-are-younger-you-are-running-on-that-pure-naive-adrenalin-you/) [Andy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-taylor/) > [Like dreams, statistics are a form of wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/like-dreams-statistics-are-a-form-of-wish-fulfillment/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [For some people they say, it's about wish fulfillment, it's about the things you are never able to do in your day you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/for-some-people-they-say-it-s-about-wish-fulfillment-it-s-about-the/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [“I was watching Booknotes on CSPAN the other day and got caught up in an interview with a literary critic from the New York…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/i-was-watching-booknotes-on-cspan-the-other-day-and-got-caught-up-in/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [The wish fulfillment of growing younger is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. You have new problems that arise which you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-roth/the-wish-fulfillment-of-growing-younger-is-not-necessarily-all-it-s/) [Eric Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-roth/) > [As far as superhero stories, what's appealing is of course that aspect of wish fulfillment. I mean, you start out reading them as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/as-far-as-superhero-stories-what-s-appealing-is-of-course-that-aspect/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [My first job was with 'Dawson's Creek' where everybody looked good and they spoke better than you. It was kind of a wish fulfillment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-white/my-first-job-was-with-dawson-s-creek-where-everybody-looked-good-and/) [Mike White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-white/) > [If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-you-look-at-romantic-comedies-as-pieces-of-commerce-the-audience/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## More by Timothy Spall > [As you get older and more thoughtful, you carry stuff with you. Your kids get older, you take on their sorrows, you enjoy their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/as-you-get-older-and-more-thoughtful-you-carry-stuff-with-you-your/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [When you're doing a film, your agent and manager spend hours - days - talking about contractual obligations. If you turn up for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/when-you-re-doing-a-film-your-agent-and-manager-spend-hours-days/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [When I was at school when I was 16, I was in a quandary because I didn't know whether I wanted to join the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/when-i-was-at-school-when-i-was-16-i-was-in-a-quandary-because-i-didn/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [Because I can think rationally, I can think cosmically, and I can think about the world scientifically and poetically and the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/because-i-can-think-rationally-i-can-think-cosmically-and-i-can-think/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [When I was born, my dad was a scaffolder, and my mum worked in a chip shop. Then my mum taught herself how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/when-i-was-born-my-dad-was-a-scaffolder-and-my-mum-worked-in-a-chip/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [I love a cinema with two people in it. Love it! Absolutely love it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/i-love-a-cinema-with-two-people-in-it-love-it-absolutely-love-it/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [Life is a massive amount of feelings with the occasional profound engagement with intellect. As I get older, I hope the intellect takes over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/life-is-a-massive-amount-of-feelings-with-the-occasional-profound/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [The older I get, the more I feel that's all we are: a big bunch of feelings and instincts all wrapped up in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-feel-that-s-all-we-are-a-big-bunch-of/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [I think anything that increases your understanding of the human condition... I think age and life, if you're lucky, makes you think deeper, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/i-think-anything-that-increases-your-understanding-of-the-human/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [You invent this massive lagoon of information without any pressure to do anything apart from create this person, a person that might fit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/you-invent-this-massive-lagoon-of-information-without-any-pressure-to/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [I don't enjoy the theatre. I don't go. Don't like going in the back door or the front.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/i-don-t-enjoy-the-theatre-i-don-t-go-don-t-like-going-in-the-back/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [I'm working class, and want people to know I'm not unintelligent and all the other cliches that come with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/i-m-working-class-and-want-people-to-know-i-m-not-unintelligent-and/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [It's my job to manipulate feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/it-s-my-job-to-manipulate-feelings/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [I've never seen a poltergeist, but I do believe there is more than what we see, that there is more than just this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/i-ve-never-seen-a-poltergeist-but-i-do-believe-there-is-more-than/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) > [If you are afflicted with an artistic feeling, it's just perfecting something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/if-you-are-afflicted-with-an-artistic-feeling-it-s-just-perfecting/) [Timothy Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) [Explore all 50 Timothy Spall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/) ## 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": "These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Spall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish-fulfillment-characters/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish-fulfillment-characters/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/timothy-spall-13592_character_these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish_24804.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.” — Timothy Spall", "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": "Timothy Spall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-spall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "These people I play are not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish-fulfillment-characters/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-spall/these-people-i-play-are-not-usually-wish-fulfillment-characters/#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 } } ] } ```