How did a character suddenly acquire a needed skill? By an unrelated previous life experience he never knew would prove so useful, sometimes a Retcon. In other words, the character always had the skill, but You Didn't Ask. A character who is an actor is a sharpshooter because he had to learn it for a role. A writer is an expert on medieval history because she had to research it for a book. Common with older, gray-haired characters. You never think that your mother or grandmother could've had a life before you were born. Examples of Suddenly Always Knew That include: