What do you think of role-playing? How can a self aware person possibly sublimate their feelings and opinions like that? You cease to be a person and instead become a support appendage.
Actually it is different. Actors yes, writers no. You see, I do write for a living. I don't role play. Very very few writers I know role play. And we'd be the most likely, as we're science fiction, fantasy and horror. We do it all in our minds. Hard to explain, but we have such rich mental lives, we have no need to role play.