"And a lesson in this movie is: dig beneath the surface. And so with my words, with my character, I purposely created a character that was away from how you've known me thus far in my career"
About this Quote
The key move is how he links “my words” and “my character,” collapsing interview persona and on-screen role into one continuum. That’s Hollywood’s tightrope: the actor must appear authentic while also admitting the performance. By saying he “purposely created” a character “away from how you’ve known me,” Moore signals agency. He’s not being “cast against type” by a director’s generosity; he’s taking authorship over his image, pushing back against the industry habit of freezing Black male leads into a narrow set of tones: charming, tough, reliable, repeat.
There’s subtextual frustration in “thus far in my career,” a polite nod to typecasting without naming it. The line works because it frames deviation as discipline, not rebellion. He’s not disowning the roles that made him famous; he’s leveraging them as contrast. The promise is simple and culturally legible: you thought you knew me. The movie, and the performance, want to make that certainty feel lazy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Moore, Shemar. (2026, February 17). And a lesson in this movie is: dig beneath the surface. And so with my words, with my character, I purposely created a character that was away from how you've known me thus far in my career. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-a-lesson-in-this-movie-is-dig-beneath-the-109903/
Chicago Style
Moore, Shemar. "And a lesson in this movie is: dig beneath the surface. And so with my words, with my character, I purposely created a character that was away from how you've known me thus far in my career." FixQuotes. February 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-a-lesson-in-this-movie-is-dig-beneath-the-109903/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And a lesson in this movie is: dig beneath the surface. And so with my words, with my character, I purposely created a character that was away from how you've known me thus far in my career." FixQuotes, 17 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-a-lesson-in-this-movie-is-dig-beneath-the-109903/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.




