--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Flashy characters are more entertaining…" description: "\"Flashy characters are more entertaining to people because you get it. You don't have to work to get someone who says what they mean and says what they ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/viola-davis-1174_character_flashy-characters-are-more-entertaining_2667377.png" --- # Flashy characters are more entertaining to people because… ![“Flashy characters are more entertaining to people because you get it. You don't have to work to get someone who says what they mean and says what they think. They're out there. It's harder to play a quiet character because everything happens in their stream of consciousness.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/viola-davis-1174_character_flashy-characters-are-more-entertaining_2667377.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/viola-davis-1174_character_flashy-characters-are-more-entertaining_2667377.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/977/viola-davis-1174_character_flashy-characters-are-more-entertaining_2667377.png) > “Flashy characters are more entertaining to people because you get it. You don't have to work to get someone who says what they mean and says what they think. They're out there. It's harder to play a quiet character because everything happens in their stream of consciousness.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Flashy characters are entertaining because they are explicit and easy to read, while quiet characters demand deep attention to internal thoughts. **In simple terms:** Loud characters are easy; quiet ones need focus. Key Takeaway Embrace both bold and subtle roles. Themes character development audience perception storytelling Mood reflective analytical Type theoretical educational When to use this quote - acting workshops - script analysis - character study - writing workshops Key Concepts psychology of perception narrative depth Questions to Reflect On - How do you convey inner thoughts without explicit dialogue? - When is subtlety more effective than flamboyance? A Different Perspective Quiet characters can alienate audiences if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Stream of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream-of-consciousness/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [It's harder to play a quiet character because everything happens in their stream of consciousness. They're thinking and feeling the world, but they're saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-s-harder-to-play-a-quiet-character-because-everything-happens-in/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [You don't get the pay-off when you're playing a quiet character, so sometimes you want to just throw out all your work and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-playing-a-quiet-character-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [Talent develops in quiet, alone; character is sharpened in the torrent of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/talent-develops-in-quiet-alone-character-is-sharpened-in-the-torrent/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Genius is formed in quiet, character in the stream of human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/genius-is-formed-in-quiet-character-in-the-stream-of-human-life/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [People often forget our emotional contribution to relationships and to marriage and that might be a completely sexist comment but, what I tried not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/people-often-forget-our-emotional-contribution-to-relationships-and/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I'm very interested in people, so if a character happens to be real, there's that much more to look at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-jones/i-m-very-interested-in-people-so-if-a-character-happens-to-be-real/) [Toby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-jones/) > [Years ago, I was thinking about this type of character and what happens when you've lived in this sort of strange, surreal world where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-faris/years-ago-i-was-thinking-about-this-type-of-character-and-what/) [Anna Faris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-faris/) > [In Nietzsche's view nihilism is not a Weltanschauung that occurs at some time and place or another; it is rather the basic character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/in-nietzsche-s-view-nihilism-is-not-a-weltanschauung-that-occurs-at/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [I don't happen to have a sense of humor personally, so I don't know what's funny about a character... This happens to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-don-t-happen-to-have-a-sense-of-humor-personally-so-i-don-t-know/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I don't choose parts. I choose filmmakers. I'm done trying to make a statement with a character. What happens is, I craft a performance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/i-don-t-choose-parts-i-choose-filmmakers-i-m-done-trying-to-make-a/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [The best single question for testing an organization's character is: What happens when people make mistakes?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-i-sutton/the-best-single-question-for-testing-an-organization-s-character-is/) [Robert I. Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-i-sutton/) > [When the people you've already worked with are very talented and you know what they can do, if you think of a character that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurissa-tancharoen/when-the-people-you-ve-already-worked-with-are-very-talented-and-you/) [Maurissa Tancharoen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurissa-tancharoen/) > [You know what I mean, I'm not Tom Cruise. I can act as long as the character happens to look and sound a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/you-know-what-i-mean-i-m-not-tom-cruise-i-can-act-as-long-as-the/) [John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/) > [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/) [Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/) > [“I cite too the ordinary fears of mortality the inspection of a fast-growing mole on the side of the nose blood in the stool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-cite-too-the-ordinary-fears-of-mortality-the-inspection-of-a-fast/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## 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. 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