I think it comes out of an understanding of character that's different than yours or mine -- I mean the actors playing a given character aren't the characters either, which isn't the distinction most people make. redstapler gets this -- at the Player's Club thing she kept going "Oh god, it's not just that you're doing Jack. You're doing John Barrowman's bodylanguage and it's killing me."

Also, when peopel get bitchy about this shit with book characters? YOU CaN"T EVEN SEE THEM.