---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've played several real characters, and…"
description: "\"I've played several real characters, and I've always found it very difficult because you don't want to do an impersonation.\" — Tony Goldwyn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg"
---

#  I've played several real characters, and I've always found…

![“I've played several real characters, and I've always found it very difficult because you don't want to do an impersonation.” quote by Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg)

> “I've played several real characters, and I've always found it very difficult because you don't want to do an impersonation.”

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Portraying real people is hard because it feels like imitation rather than authentic performance.

**In simple terms:** Playing real people feels like imitation.

Key Takeaway

Seek authenticity over imitation.

Themes

acting authenticity identity

Mood

thoughtful creative

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- theatre
- film
- biographical roles

Key Concepts

psychology performance art

Questions to Reflect On

- What techniques help you embody a real person?
- How does audience perception affect performance?

A Different Perspective

Authenticity can be limited by audience expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Impersonation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonation/)

## Related quotes

> [I've got to tell you, I've played real characters before and people always bring up this word 'impersonation,' and I'm never entirely sure what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-jones/i-ve-got-to-tell-you-i-ve-played-real-characters-before-and-people/)

[Toby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-jones/)

> [The most real characters in a great play are those who are so meticulously drawn that the audience could predict how many pairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hassett/the-most-real-characters-in-a-great-play-are-those-who-are-so/)

[Kevin Hassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hassett/)

> [There's a lot of traps you can fall into when you are playing someone who existed. If it comes out just as impersonation, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/there-s-a-lot-of-traps-you-can-fall-into-when-you-are-playing-someone/)

[Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/)

> [It's a difficult one when we don't perform well and get beat and don't perform like we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-carroll/it-s-a-difficult-one-when-we-don-t-perform-well-and-get-beat-and-don/)

[Andy Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-carroll/)

> [Every time Maradona speaks it makes life difficult for everyone and there are those of us who don't agree with that, not when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-kempes/every-time-maradona-speaks-it-makes-life-difficult-for-everyone-and/)

[Mario Kempes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-kempes/)

> [I just think that my road has been so difficult to get where I'm at that I don't take anything for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-just-think-that-my-road-has-been-so-difficult-to-get-where-i-m-at/)

[Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/)

> [Starting out is very difficult if you don't have a clientele.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-foster/starting-out-is-very-difficult-if-you-don-t-have-a-clientele/)

[Fred Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-foster/)

> [It's really difficult when you don't see much of a team and you're not familiar with how they play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-krieger/it-s-really-difficult-when-you-don-t-see-much-of-a-team-and-you-re/)

[Ali Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-krieger/)

> [Usually, English personalities are difficult; they don't take criticism easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/usually-english-personalities-are-difficult-they-don-t-take-criticism/)

[Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/)

> [I do find comedy difficult. I don't know why. Maybe I think about it too much. There's a tremendous amount of pressure to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-do-find-comedy-difficult-i-don-t-know-why-maybe-i-think-about-it/)

[Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/)

> [To deliver something deadpan is very difficult; I don't think people know how hard those jokes are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-che/to-deliver-something-deadpan-is-very-difficult-i-don-t-think-people/)

[Michael Che](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-che/)

> [ It's going to be very difficult. I don't see the president-elect \[Donald Trump\] as a legitimate president. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/it-s-going-to-be-very-difficult-i-don-t-see-the-president-elect/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [If you're in the ring with somebody that doesn't throw good punches, guess what. Don't have him throw any punches. You work to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cage/if-you-re-in-the-ring-with-somebody-that-doesn-t-throw-good-punches/)

[Christian Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cage/)

> [“It's not because it's difficult that we don't try. It's because we don't try, it's difficult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volksweisheitheit/it-s-not-because-it-s-difficult-that-we-don-t-try-it-s-because-we-don/)

Volksweisheitheit

> [When we played Real Madrid and won 5-3 it was soaking wet and the ball ended up weighing a kilo. It didn't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eusebio/when-we-played-real-madrid-and-won-5-3-it-was-soaking-wet-and-the/)

[Eusebio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eusebio/)

## More by Tony Goldwyn

> [Nothing's wrong with honest emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/nothing-s-wrong-with-honest-emotion/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [My mother's whole family had been from the theater, really. Because I grew up in Hollywood, I wasn't that interested in Hollywood. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/my-mother-s-whole-family-had-been-from-the-theater-really-because-i/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [#GivingTuesday is the perfect cyber-counterbalance to Black Friday and emphasizes giving back in this era of mass consumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/givingtuesday-is-the-perfect-cyber-counterbalance-to-black-friday-and/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I directed and produced Conviction, a movie about a man who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-directed-and-produced-conviction-a-movie-about-a-man-who-spent-18/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [My parents were obsessed with us being normal kids, so I never knew movie stars. They didn't want us to be Hollywood brats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/my-parents-were-obsessed-with-us-being-normal-kids-so-i-never-knew/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I really enjoy directing television because you get to work in so many different genres and with different people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-really-enjoy-directing-television-because-you-get-to-work-in-so/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I love yoga breathing exercises; they're very helpful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-love-yoga-breathing-exercises-they-re-very-helpful/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I've been a political junkie for a long time. I find the way Washington works is just fascinating to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-been-a-political-junkie-for-a-long-time-i-find-the-way/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I'm a moderate Democrat. I've always been fascinated and maddened by the way things get done in our system, which as an ideal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-m-a-moderate-democrat-i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-maddened-by/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [Nothings wrong with honest emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/nothings-wrong-with-honest-emotion/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [Every day should be #GivingTuesday when it comes to surviving natural catastrophes and man-made disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/every-day-should-be-givingtuesday-when-it-comes-to-surviving-natural/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [Our age-old faith in divine male intuition is no longer good enough. Reality check, fellas: We are not gods. We are men. Let's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/our-age-old-faith-in-divine-male-intuition-is-no-longer-good-enough/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [Relationships are super complicated and always have dark and light in them. And all good sexual relationships do, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/relationships-are-super-complicated-and-always-have-dark-and-light-in/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I loved working with Ed Zwick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-loved-working-with-ed-zwick/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

> [I've inherited a kind of... willfulness, a kind of quiet willfulness that I'll just hang in there with something until it happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-inherited-a-kind-of-willfulness-a-kind-of-quiet-willfulness-that/)

[Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

[Explore all 59 Tony Goldwyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/)

## More Always quotes

> [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/)

[Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [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/)

> [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/)

[William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/)

[Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/)

[Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/)

[Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/)

[Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/)

Browse all 36,048 Always quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've played several real characters, and I've always found it very difficult because you don't want to do an impersonation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tony Goldwyn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and-i-ve-always-found-it-very/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Always"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and-i-ve-always-found-it-very/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/tony-goldwyn-11587_always_i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and_1025003.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've played several real characters, and I've always found it very difficult because you don't want to do an…” — Tony Goldwyn",
                "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": "Tony Goldwyn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've played several real characters, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and-i-ve-always-found-it-very/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and-i-ve-always-found-it-very/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
