"When I want to show the kind of meanness people are capable of, to make it believable I find I have to tone it down. It's in real life that people are over the top"

Todd Solondz's quote explores the complex and frequently upsetting nature of human habits. The essence of his reflection is that genuine human meanness often goes beyond the levels portrayed in fiction. This observation highlights a paradox intrinsic in storytelling: to make sure that fictional meanness is credible to an audience, an author or filmmaker like Solondz feels obliged to moderate it. In plain contrast, real life regularly presents acts of cruelty and malice that are so severe they might appear implausible when portrayed in art or literature.

This notion can be credited to the suspension of shock that art needs. Audiences are prepared to accept just so much exaggeration before a story loses its trustworthiness. Hence, creators must stabilize the details of their characters' darker habits to preserve relatability and authenticity. In doing so, they inevitably soften the cruelty that real-life circumstances frequently present.

Solondz indicates that truth doesn't have these constraints. Daily, we witness or find out about human habits showing extensive cruelty, deceit, and pettiness, typically skirting the edges of believability. People in their vulnerable, raw states might take part in actions driven by situations, emotions, or intrinsic personalities that written or recorded media may find challenging to encapsulate authentically.

This observation by Solondz also indicates a commentary on humanity itself, recommending individuals harbor an intrinsic capacity for cruelty that they might reduce or mask in everyday interactions. Art tries to reflect this reality, however it typically has to present a tempered version to make absorbable and reputable narratives. Consequently, Solondz highlights the harshness between the depictions of human habits in artistic mediums and the truths that unfold worldwide, suggesting that art, despite its remarkable flair, typically doesn't completely catch how extreme real human behavior can be.