I find that when I play reality-based characters, it is only as fun for me if I have a lot of time to do research. If I don't it just isn't exciting but if I do, it can be fun because I can learn about that person and the world that they live in and I can become somebody else.
Don't shift because fashion has shifted. Don't move from the original ethic you had, the original reasons. They're part and parcel of you.