"I like the nice guys. I like when they show the stories, the human element behind it all"
About this Quote
The phrase “the human element behind it all” carries the real charge. Bassett has built a career in roles that demand both authority and vulnerability, often inside genres that can flatten people into symbols: the regal mother, the unbreakable leader, the long-suffering spouse. She knows how easily media turns lived experience into headline behavior - the scandal, the outburst, the “iconic” moment - and how much more difficult it is to dramatize the quieter motives underneath. She’s advocating for storytelling that refuses the shortcut.
There’s also industry subtext: a plea for more generous scripts and more emotionally literate men on screen, especially opposite women who are too often positioned as plot devices or emotional caretakers. Bassett’s line reads like a casting preference, but it’s really a values statement. She’s asking for narratives that treat decency as dramatic material, not a lack of edge.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bassett, Angela. (2026, January 17). I like the nice guys. I like when they show the stories, the human element behind it all. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-the-nice-guys-i-like-when-they-show-the-36944/
Chicago Style
Bassett, Angela. "I like the nice guys. I like when they show the stories, the human element behind it all." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-the-nice-guys-i-like-when-they-show-the-36944/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I like the nice guys. I like when they show the stories, the human element behind it all." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-the-nice-guys-i-like-when-they-show-the-36944/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.







