broke character
Left the role
Broke character describes the moment when someone stops maintaining a role or persona.
An actor who laughs during a serious scene has broken character.
The phrase applies beyond theater—a politician who drops their polished demeanor, a prankster who can't keep a straight face, or someone revealing their true feelings after maintaining a front: She finally broke character and admitted she hated the job.
The past tense broke is standard even when used as a modifier: a broke-character moment.
- corpsingUnintentional onstage laughter
- cracking upLaughing until helpless
- SNL sketchShort comedic performance segment
- stage frightFear of performing publicly
- personaAssumed public identity
ad-libbing · vulnerability · facade · fourth wall · improvisation · breaking the fourth wall · laughter · honesty · confession · self-monitoring · blooper · authenticity · sincerity · role-playing · impression management · rehearsal · monologue · masking
broke characterpowered through
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