--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's harder to play a quiet character…" description: "\"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 ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/viola-davis-1174_behavior_it-s-harder-to-play-a-quiet-character-be_885195.png" --- # It's harder to play a quiet character because everything… ![“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 very little, so then you have to communicate it through your behavior.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/viola-davis-1174_behavior_it-s-harder-to-play-a-quiet-character-be_885195.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/viola-davis-1174_behavior_it-s-harder-to-play-a-quiet-character-be_885195.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/viola-davis-1174_behavior_it-s-harder-to-play-a-quiet-character-be_885195.png) > “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 very little, so then you have to communicate it through your behavior.” [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. Quiet characters require conveying inner life through subtle actions rather than dialogue, making performance challenging. **In simple terms:** Quiet roles need deep, non‑verbal expression. Key Takeaway Focus on nuanced behavior. Themes acting expression character development Mood introspective challenging Type theatrical educational When to use this quote - stage performance - film scenes - improvisation - character study Key Concepts subtext consciousness nonverbal communication Questions to Reflect On - How can you show a character’s thoughts without words? - What physical cues reveal inner conflict? A Different Perspective Quiet roles can feel under‑developed if not supported by strong direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-happens-366244/) [Communicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communicate/) [Communicate Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communicate-behavior-1092169/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-quiet-536811/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Quiet Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-character-1092168/) [Stream of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream-of-consciousness/) [Streams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streams/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/flashy-characters-are-more-entertaining-to-people-because-you-get-it/) [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/) > [“One of the primary ways horses communicate with us is through their behavior. Again, it is my belief horses don’t distinguish between how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rashid/one-of-the-primary-ways-horses-communicate-with-us-is-through-their/) [Mark Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rashid/) > [You cannot not communicate. Every behavior is a kind of communication. Because behavior does not have a counterpart (there is no anti-behavior), it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/you-cannot-not-communicate-every-behavior-is-a-kind-of-communication/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [If you're pretty, you want to be ugly. If you're loud, you want to play quiet. You always want to challenge people's expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/if-you-re-pretty-you-want-to-be-ugly-if-you-re-loud-you-want-to-play/) [Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/) > [I haven't had a chance to play a quiet leading man in a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-haven-t-had-a-chance-to-play-a-quiet-leading-man-in-a-while/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [In the open air you don't play as many quiet songs as you would normally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-kaplan/in-the-open-air-you-don-t-play-as-many-quiet-songs-as-you-would/) [Ira Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-kaplan/) > [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/) > [Fear is nothing more than a mental monster you have created, a negative stream of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/fear-is-nothing-more-than-a-mental-monster-you-have-created-a/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [Okay, everyone please be completely quiet, because I can literally hear a whisper, and it’ll throw off my stream of consciousness, and when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/okay-everyone-please-be-completely-quiet-because-i-can-literally-hear/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [I have a similar affection for the parenthesis (but I always take most of my parentheses out, so as not to call undue attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-have-a-similar-affection-for-the-parenthesis-but-i-always-take-most/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [By tuning in to your minute-to-minute stream of consciousness, you discover the addictions that make you worried, anxious, resentful, uptight, afraid, angry, bored, etc.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-keyes-jr/by-tuning-in-to-your-minute-to-minute-stream-of-consciousness-you/) [Ken Keyes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-keyes-jr/) > [I fantasised about F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' - I loved it, and then I read everything J. D. Salinger had to offer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/i-fantasised-about-f-scott-fitzgerald-s-the-great-gatsby-i-loved-it/) [Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/) > [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/) ## 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. 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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 Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. 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That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) [J. 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