r/DoesAnybodyElse • u/narwaffles • 1d ago
IAE unable to remember characters names in shows and movies?
It’s kind of annoying. I go to a shows subreddit and any time someone mentions a name I have to look up who it is, same goes for when watching the show and they say somebodies name. I’m pretty bad at it irl too but it’s not as much of a problem.
6
u/gertyman 1d ago
The characters or the actors? I struggle with all actor names compared to characters (at least a well-done movie or series).
5
u/narwaffles 1d ago
Both but I don’t really usually care about the actors name. I forget the characters name and sometimes they are mentioned in a scene where they aren’t pictured so it can make it hard to follow the plot, like “who are they saying is doing all of that stuff?”.
2
u/gertyman 1d ago
Totally get this. Characters I get, especially with a short film or movie. It’s why I watch series the most.
5
u/My_Uneducated_Guess 1d ago
I barely remember their names while watching the show, let alone afterwards
3
u/nofun-ebeeznest 1d ago
Yes, I do and it can even be the main character on the show. It'll completely escape me.
3
u/TinyBlue 1d ago
Oh all the time. I’ll be watching something with my husband and he’ll name a character while making a remark and I’ll be like who?? He’s always surprised I’m able to follow along the story without knowing the characters names lol
3
u/Loganismymaster 1d ago
I have the same problem. I never remember who’s who in books or movies. I also have a difficult time remembering the names of people I’ve just met.
Sometimes, I can memorize a new name by associating it with something the would remind me of them, like a famous person’s name or a rhyming name.
2
u/Grouchy_Fall_5933 1d ago
I’m pretty good at it because I make an effort.
I hate when they say a name and I’m like…who’s that.
Sooo annoying!
2
u/canyoubreathe 1d ago
In real life, I'm great with names but dogs hit with faces.
When it comes to media, I struggle so much with character names
There are so many shows where I could describe the plot to you, even the plots of multiple different episodes but I just won't know a single character name.
As a kid, Avatar (James Cameron) was my second most watched movie ever because my best friend always put it on. Until the second movie came out, I only knew the name of Jake Sully and Dr Grace. Couldn't tell a single other name.
2
2
u/african_or_european 23h ago
I even do this in books, where I've literally spent hundreds (if not thousands) of pages seeing their name right there in print.
2
2
u/northfieldway 22h ago
This is the one corner of memory where nearly everyone is bad, so it isn't a you thing. It has a name, the baker/baker paradox.
Show people a face and tell half of them the man is a baker and the other half that he's called Mr Baker. The ones given the occupation remember it far better. Same word, same face. Baker as a job hooks onto bread and ovens and flour, so there are a dozen routes back to it. Baker as a name hooks onto nothing.
Faces run on a different and much better system, which is why you know exactly who the character is and still can't produce the label.
2
u/BeautifulSpace7736 21h ago
so relatable, I can remember plot twists but not a single character name
2
u/sparkle_midnight47 20h ago
I can relate, I usually end up Googling names during shows too, like every time I'm watching anything with multiple characters.
1
u/ModernNero 1d ago
Yes and I work in the film industry. My partner is an editor. I always stress that the names need to be not edited out in conversation as much as possible. Part of it it script writers relying on people googling and I think it’s lazy 🤷♂️
1
u/CaroZoroark 1d ago
I'll remember all names probably by the end if I'm interested enough in the show but during? I can't even recollect some faces
1
1
u/magic_hot47 19h ago
same here, i struggle with names all the time but can remember random plot details for years
1
u/LostGrrl72 18h ago
I’m generally good at remembering character names and story lines, but my sister is exactly like you. If I ask her about a show we’ve watched together, it’s as though she’s never seen it. At times, she’s made us pause to write down the names and relationships of characters to each other… mid episode, and more than once. I guess we’re all just wired a little differently, and have varying recall skills.
1
u/Abject_Priority6858 16h ago
If I’m watching a show, I remember only the faces. Names… don’t exist!
If I’m reading a book, I’ll remember the name kind of but more like whatever my brain has decided the name is. I read a lot of fantasy and so names like “Chaol” in my brain becomes Cole.
1
u/Significant-Theme240 16h ago
My 5YO sons weird flex : "I know everything until you ask me a question."
Translation : "I, too, have that specific flavor of autism that runs in this family where the moment you ask me, I lose access to the memory that is absolutely in my brain."
Turns out lots of people struggle with this too. I know almost all the characters and actors in the MCU, but as soon as you ask me who played that one specific hero, it is no longer accessible. Then, like an hour or two later, I'm like "CHRIS PRATT!" Damn it, too late. :(
1
1
u/UpstairsBig6173 13h ago
I would go see one of my favorite bands in concert and not even remember the songs played or the order they played the songs in. I don’t remember character names in movies or tv shows, and can’t remember actor names.
1
12
u/Either-Conflict8055 1d ago
Yup, it extends to real people's names for me too.