It’s the writers’ job to make it positive. It’s my job to make it real.

The remark draws a clear line between two kinds of creative labor in film and television: the writer’s responsibility to shape a story’s arc and thematic “positivity,” and the actor’s responsibility to embody a character with psychological truth. Pace frames performance as an ethical commitment to realism—playing what feels honest rather than what merely flatters the narrative or reassures the audience. Implicitly, it also acknowledges the collaborative nature of screen storytelling: optimism or uplift can be authored, but believability must be earned in the moment of acting through behavior, tone, and specificity. The quote thus champions authenticity over sentimentality, suggesting that “real” emotion is what ultimately makes even hopeful writing persuasive.