"I like for there to be a moral, for the character to have gotten something out of the experience"
About this Quote
The phrasing matters. He doesn’t say the audience needs a moral. He wants “the character to have gotten something out of the experience.” That’s actor-brain: growth is playable. A moral is abstract; an internal shift is actionable. It gives a performer a spine to build scenes around, a through-line that makes even melodrama feel earned. The subtext is craft disguised as values. He’s not policing content; he’s trying to avoid roles where suffering is decorative and redemption is stapled on in the final minute.
There’s also a cultural tell here. Coming up in a post-’90s entertainment landscape that prized irony and antiheroes, insisting on “a moral” can sound almost unfashionable. But London frames it personally, not prescriptively. It’s less “art should teach” than “a character shouldn’t walk away unchanged.” That small distinction makes the sentiment modern: skeptical of easy lessons, hungry for transformation that feels real.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
London, Jeremy. (2026, January 17). I like for there to be a moral, for the character to have gotten something out of the experience. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-for-there-to-be-a-moral-for-the-character-65853/
Chicago Style
London, Jeremy. "I like for there to be a moral, for the character to have gotten something out of the experience." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-for-there-to-be-a-moral-for-the-character-65853/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I like for there to be a moral, for the character to have gotten something out of the experience." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-for-there-to-be-a-moral-for-the-character-65853/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.







