--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You don't get the pay-off when you're…" description: "\"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, \"Okay, let me do someth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png" --- # You don't get the pay-off when you're playing a quiet… ![“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, "Okay, let me do something really funny or gimmicky, just so that I can get some attention in this scene."” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png) > “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, "Okay, let me do something really funny or gimmicky, just so that I can get some attention in this scene."” [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. Highlights the temptation to abandon subtlety for flashy humor to gain attention. **In simple terms:** Sometimes actors choose over‑the‑top jokes for visibility. Key Takeaway Balance nuance with memorable moments. Themes artistry attention humor Mood thoughtful critical Type advice reflective When to use this quote - theatre - film - stand‑up comedy Key Concepts performance risk audience perception Questions to Reflect On - Is humor always effective for attention? - How to maintain integrity while seeking notice? A Different Perspective Risk of losing depth or credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I try not to divide plot and character. I get to know a character by what they want and fear and how those internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/i-try-not-to-divide-plot-and-character-i-get-to-know-a-character-by/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [I couldn't tell you a good, bad or ugly pilot just from reading it, but I can tell you a character I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/i-couldn-t-tell-you-a-good-bad-or-ugly-pilot-just-from-reading-it-but/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [When you're playing a real character, you want to honor that person and receive inspiration from that person. They need to anoint you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-toussaint/when-you-re-playing-a-real-character-you-want-to-honor-that-person/) [Lorraine Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-toussaint/) > [I love to study people and pick apart what makes a person or character who they are. I never want to get complacent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-ellis/i-love-to-study-people-and-pick-apart-what-makes-a-person-or/) [Jay Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-ellis/) > [When you're the guy inside of a character and you've lived with it for almost two years, you're always a bit defensive about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-amboyer/when-you-re-the-guy-inside-of-a-character-and-you-ve-lived-with-it/) [Dan Amboyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-amboyer/) > [ Whether I'm interested \[in something\] or not, step one is read the script and figure out if a character is someone I'd want to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-skarsgard/whether-i-m-interested-in-something-or-not-step-one-is-read-the/) [Alexander Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-skarsgard/) > [Many times - especially when I'm playing an historical character - I want to be really on target with how I create that character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giancarlo-esposito/many-times-especially-when-i-m-playing-an-historical-character-i-want/) [Giancarlo Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giancarlo-esposito/) > [If I like the story and it's well written, and it's a character I want to play and they'll pay me, then I decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/if-i-like-the-story-and-it-s-well-written-and-it-s-a-character-i-want/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [I think it's about finding the character you want to play and the people you want to work with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-think-it-s-about-finding-the-character-you-want-to-play-and-the/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [If it's a good story or if it's a character I want to act in, I end up wanting to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwak-dong-yeon/if-it-s-a-good-story-or-if-it-s-a-character-i-want-to-act-in-i-end-up/) [Kwak Dong-yeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwak-dong-yeon/) > [Both are two different things. As a VJ, you are yourself. But as an actor, you are playing a character that you want people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-chakraborty/both-are-two-different-things-as-a-vj-you-are-yourself-but-as-an/) [Rhea Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-chakraborty/) ## 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 Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [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/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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, \"Okay, let me do something really funny or gimmicky, just so that I can get some attention in this scene.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-playing-a-quiet-character-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-playing-a-quiet-character-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/viola-davis-1174_attention_you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-pl_3176364.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You don't get the pay-off when you're playing a quiet character, so sometimes you want to just throw out all…” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You don't get the pay-off when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-playing-a-quiet-character-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/you-don-t-get-the-pay-off-when-you-re-playing-a-quiet-character-so/#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 } } ] } ```