out of character

Prepositional phrase

1. (idiomatic) Inconsistent with someone's personality, disposition, or usual expected behaviour.
   • The burst of anger was out of character for the normally placid boy.
   • In “Treehouse Of Horror” episodes, the rules aren’t just different—they don’t even exist. If writers want Homer to kill Flanders or for a segment to end with a marriage between a woman and a giant ape, they can do so without worrying about continuity or consistency or fans griping that the gang is...2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)
2. (idiomatic) Not in character; not in the zone; not successfully performing within the mindset of a given character in a theatrical performance.
   • I was out of character for most of the first act because those people in the third row wouldn't stop chatting.
3. (idiomatic, roleplaying games) Not acting; not "on"; behaving within one's natural personality rather than that of a character, or taking actions entirely outside the fictional context.
   • After watching him perform so energetically, it is a bit of a trip to hang out with him when he's out of character. In real life, he's really mellow.
   • Susan asked the GM, out of character, whether she was able to sense magic in the room.