#What does the writer say about your character? In a character breakdown, sometimes you’ll get nothing more than the character’s name. Sometimes, you’ll get their age, occupation and even the details of their relationship to other characters in the story. Write all that down! The character bio that a screenwriter might give you can vary wildly, from the most in depth-description of a character you’ve ever seen, to something like this: SALLY. Works at the mechanics, has known SIMON for three years. Suspicious. 26. Or even this: WOMAN–any age. In terms of characterisation, the amount of detail the writer gives you reveals how much creative license you have to use. It shows you whether you have to turn a square, a dodecahedron or a singular line into a three-dimensional, living, breathing human. If you are given that singular line of ‘WOMAN–any age‘, I feel the writer is saying to me: “Go for it, I have no idea who she is yet.” What a gift! #What does your character say about themselves? Get your face back in that script and go through it with a ne-tooth comb. If your character says anything about themselves, then get your notebook out and write it all down—no matter how big or how small it may seem. What do these things reveal to you about your character’s self-awareness? Are they a good judge of their own character? Are they modest about their capabilities? And if so, why? Are they being truthful about themselves or are they lying? If they are lying, why are they lying? What’s at stake for them? Isolating these things and asking these questions will bring you closer and closer to understanding how your character perceives themselves. Most importantly, you’ll begin to notice the difference in how they present in public to others and privately to themselves. As an extension to this: think about how your character speaks—about themselves or others. Do they speak with con dence? Do they ll a page with dialogue? Maybe they don’t say much at all. Why not? Do they use a ten-dollar phrase when a ve-buck word would do? What’s their level of education? Writers often give us all sorts of hints about characters hidden in plain sight as dialogue. Remember that every single word has been agonised over: work to discover the reason behind each individual choice. fi fi fi fi #What do other characters say about your character? This one’s similar to the previous exercise, but now you’re only looking for what other characters say about yours. Once again, question and deduce whether these things are accurate or not. Are they observations or judgements? Are they telling a story from your character’s past? Is your character present or not present when these things are said? Do these things ultimately help your character or not? I like to think of it as though you’re a lawyer representing your character in court and you’re combing through the evidence you’ve been presented. Advocate for them—defend them: even if they’re a monster! Especially if they’re a monster. The power you gain from these discoveries gives you the ability to decide whether to actively play into, or not play into what’s being said about your character. Or do a blend of both. You can test out things in rehearsal to see what it does to the dynamic amongst the other characters, how it adds friction and how it can roughen up the edges of the characters relationships a little bit. The power you gain from these discoveries gives you the ability to decide whether to actively play into, or not play into what’s being said about your character. Or do a blend of both. You can test out things in rehearsal to see what it does to the dynamic amongst the other characters, how it adds friction and how it can roughen up the edges of the characters relationships a little bit. #What don’t you have in common with your character? This is the key to understanding them through Empathy so you can feel what they feel. Whether or not there’s a big leap between the character’s life experience and my own, I write down a list of everything myself and my character don’t have in common. These can be as simple as: I didn’t grow up in an urban environment like my character. My character grew up in a family of 7 people, whereas I grew up in a house of 4. We have different accents. We were born on and live in different continents. I am not an assassin, whereas my character is. Or as complex as: My character knows how to give someone rst aid in a crisis, I don’t currently have those skills. My character has had a near-death experience which affected the trajectory of their life, whereas I have not. #What do you and your character have in common? This your entry point to finding an entry way into becoming them. Your commonalities. Once you’ve nished that list, get out your notebook and write down every single thing that you and your character do have in common. Once again, it doesn’t matter how obvious or obscure they may be. Every time I do this, it completely surprises me to discover how many things myself and my character have in common. It often helps me understand and connect with the character on a human level. Think of this as building a bridge between yourself and your character—even if it looks like there’s an enormous space between yourself and them. Here are a few examples of the kinds of things I might take note of: We are both women. We were both born in the same era. We both have siblings. My character mentions that she like zucchini, I also like zucchini. My character says she is not afraid to talk about death. I also feel this way. My character talks a lot about her cousins, I also do the same. We both received an education. fi fi fi fi fi #What do you respect or admire about your character? Even if your character is a tyrannical dictator who kills everyone, I nd that writing a list of things I (at the very least) respect, or (at the very most) admire about the character helps me nd some sort of empathy for them as a person. Even if you consider their actions immoral or unjust, you still have to be your character’s biggest advocate in the rehearsal space—and, eventually, in the story itself. It’s our job as actors to understand why people are what they are and do what they do. Let’s go with the tyrannical dictator example. The task here is not to try and condone your character’s actions, exerting a moral high-ground over them or excusing them for any beliefs they may have. But rather: to strive for nding a place of impartiality or neutrality to play the character from. Or at least as much as you possibly can. Playing from a place of emotional judgement can result in instructing the audience to feel about them that same way you do. If you play the character with all their faults as they’re written, free of your own personal judgement, the audience will respect that. Let’s go with the tyrannical dictator example. The task here is not to try and condone your character’s actions, exerting a moral high-ground over them or excusing them for any beliefs they may have. But rather: to strive for nding a place of impartiality or neutrality to play the character from. Or at least as much as you possibly can. Playing from a place of emotional judgement can result in instructing the audience to feel about them that same way you do. If you play the character with all their faults as they’re written, free of your own personal judgement, the audience will respect that. This task can always help you to pinpoint why the character behaves a certain way, has a certain world view, a perception of other people or of life in general that is unique to them. What have they endured, witnessed, battled or been taught/subjected to that has made them who they are? Do you respect these things or consider certain attributes they’ve developed admirable? There’s always a reason, and I’m always up for nding that reason, no matter how dark, macabre or insidious the character’s actions and worldview may be. #What is your character’s relationship to every other character in the script? Depending on the script, I prefer to start simple and build on it as I go: “This is him, this is her, she likes him, he likes someone else, that’s her uncle, he’s so-and-so’s brother…” Just so I can keep tabs on the various character relationships. From there, I simply keep adding and writing down details as I discover them. But you can go absolutely nuts with this one if you like. Draw a family tree, do a graph, make a Venn diagram, create a series of dating pro les. The sky’s the limit, here. Whatever it is you need to help you see the overall picture and where your character ts in relationship-wise, go for it. fi fi fi fi fl #What is your character’s relationship to the world, the universe and beyond? This is the backstory and building out a fully edged human being with beliefs and experiences. These are a slightly more in-depth list of character questions. If you like, you can go back over the lists you’ve already made about how you and your character relate to each other for reference. Ask yourself: What are their politics? Are they hopeful or pessimistic about themselves and their future? Are they an existential thinker? What are their beliefs? How do they respond to their beliefs, politics, spirituality or world view being questioned or debated? Do they have any obvious or specific spirituality? Do they believe in another dimension running alongside their own? Do they believe in a spirit world? Do they believe in a higher power? Do they think laterally or literally? What’s their relationship to authority? Are they a sceptic? Are they a conspiracy theorist? If it’s not specified, would they buy into conspiracy theories or not? Do any of these things change for your character throughout the story? And how do these attributes then inform your character’s motivations and inner drive as the story develops? Some more things to question are: Have they always been told predominantly yes or no throughout their lives? How many major obstacles have they faced in their life thus far? Consider how these things might affect their reaction to achieving or not achieving their objective throughout a scene. What is their sense of expectation looking like, and how hard have they had to ght for what they needed in the past? Has it made them develop tactical or strategic thinking? Knowing these things helps me make decisions about my character that I can experiment, subvert and muck around with in the rehearsal room. fl fi fi fl fi fi fi fi #What is your character’s voice? Get speci c, get local, get regional! The more speci c you can get and the earlier you can start, the better. It’s a lot harder to layer on a brand new accent or a vocal affectation in the late stages of your rehearsal process than it is working it into your scene work from day one. This can ensure you have time to properly embody the character’s voice, so the work is done and you won’t have to actively think about it. There are so many secrets about a character that can reveal themselves through an accent or voice, not just geographical origins. If you have access to this sort of information about your character, consider how the way they speak can be in uenced by: Their parents’ heritage. Whether they grew up speaking more than one language. If they grew up around hills, canyons or concrete unit blocks. Whether they grew up in the endlessly repetitive mazes of suburbia, or with wide open spaces and endless plains of wheat stretching out before their eyes. Whether they’ve lived in multiple geographical locations and set-ups. Whether they were always told children should be seen and not heard, or they were given licence to let their presence be known vocally any time they pleased. Whether they grew up amongst nature, the ground beneath them irregular and uneven —where sound seems to reverberate out and then disappear into the void ahead—or the hard blunt surfaces of a concrete jungle, where the sound of a million beeping cars bounces and echoes into a cacophony around them. Your character, just like you, has a uniquely speci c sound to compete with or in response to their immediate surroundings, their heritage, their social conditioning. It forms their vocal patterns, habits, cadence and then level of freedom they feel to express themselves vocally. Also, consider your character’s opinion of how they sound: Does your character slightly alter or feel a need to formalize their accent in social and professional settings? Do they need to differentiate themselves vocally amongst other characters in the play/ lm? Are they embarrassed by, proud of or neutral about their accent? The discoveries you make and choices you cement from specifying your character’s way of speaking don’t need to be commented on or pressed onto your audience. This sort of investigative work and consideration is all there to add nuance and another layer to add to the acting work you do on the oor. A different accent won’t be relevant to every character you play, but when you do get that opportunity, curiously pursue the depths of how much voice can de ne a human as they move through the world, strive for what they need and forge an identity. #Your character’s walk. This one’s notorious for a reason. Layering on a stylised walk purely for the sake of being different or to draw the audience’s attention never ends well. Most of the time, people will immediately say ‘Why’s Steve walking like that?’, rather than taking in the story. Stay curiously creative, be respectful and have fun physically exploring how your character moves through the world and why. Some things to consider: Where is their centre of gravity? From which body part do they lead when they walk? How does it differ to yours? How does this shift influence their inner world, or not? Is the story in a stylised world? In what environment do we see your character? Does it affect how urgently your character needs to move from one place to the other? What’s their occupation, if any, and does it influence the way they move? Is their walk affected by their age? Is their walk affected by past injuries? You don’t have to go big and bold to convey anything to your audience. You’ll nd that something as simple as a subtle shift of your centre of gravity can affect your gait dramatically. Do some homework on it before a rehearsal, muck around with it at home with some big bold offers, distil it down and see what could work and what will help you. I always underestimate the power of just knowing where my character’s centre of gravity is, and how their inner motor differs to mine. The knowledge, alone, can drastically affect a scene. #Your character and gesture. Never underestimate the power of gesture. Again, know exactly how stylised the project is on the scale of naturalism right up to avant-garde absurdism. Does your character have a repetitive or habitual action? Or a nervous tic that they are always trying to hide from those around them? How are they publicly-private on stage, or in front of the camera? Do they stand suspiciously still or have a hectic energy when under pressure? Do they have a tell? You have the power to decide how good their poker face is, and when they reveal what’s churning on the inside. What a cool thing. #Think about their relationship to props What does your character hold in their hands and how does that inform their gesture? Are they someone who always holds and icks a lighter, or always has a pen in their hand and uses it to punctuate things in the air as they say them? fi fi fl fl fi #Write your character’s inner monologue. Think and process as your character in real time. Become them. It’s rare to receive a character who only ever means what they say, and says what they mean without a contrasting inner-monologue, drive, or agenda. Exactly how much your inner monologue in uences your character development is up to you, but know that it can be signi cant. It allows you to take everything you know about your character’s past/present/future wants/needs/desires and boil it down into a rich, inner life. It informs your character’s actions, and then is either af rmed or challenged by what then happens next in the scene. And it keeps shifting and changing in response to the outside world. Exactly how much your inner monologue in uences your character development is up to you, but know that it can be signi cant. It allows you to take everything you know about your character’s past/present/future wants/needs/desires and boil it down into a rich, inner life. It informs your character’s actions, and then is either af rmed or challenged by what then happens next in the scene. And it keeps shifting and changing in response to the outside world. Creating a solid inner monologue for your character is an awesome thing. It ensures the ever-present running commentary going on in their own inner world, keeping them engaged in pursuing their objective—both super- and in the present moment. #Write a character backstory. This is, hands down, my favourite step. I will take every liberty in creating the longest, most convoluted backstories you could possibly imagine. And nobody can stop me. Nobody! Whatever the writer hasn’t already given me about the character’s past, I will happily ll in on my own. Get all ‘Who Do you Think You Are?’ and ‘This is Your Life’ on that creativity Decide everything about the character that gives the story meaning for you and gives you a whole person to play with. Write it all down! Or, better yet, get a friend to do a ‘hot-seat’ interview with you and improvise it. Decide where they were born, who their parents are, who their second cousin is. While you’re at it, decide why they stabbed someone in a K-Mart car park in 2012 and what that has to do with their purchase of a boat on page thirty-seven. No one has to know this backstory except you. Write down every single hilarious and traumatic thing that has ever happened to them in their life, small things that they’ve done that no one else knows, the secrets they hold, the good and bad deeds they’ve done, the moments that shaped them and the moments that didn’t. Backstory not only lls in the blanks for you, but gives you a stronger connection to who this character is at the time you’re portraying them. For me, it makes the whole process one hundred times more fun. #Diary entries. If backstory isn’t your thing—or the writer has given you an in-depth backstory already— then diary entries may be a more helpful tool. The diary entry is a more personal, private admission of the innermost thoughts and feelings of your character’s experience, day-to-day. You could write diary entries for your character’s days before, during or even after the events of the story—that last one’s if you want go hardcore with this exercise. Writing diary entries really helps me differentiate between my character’s social and private identities. It can help you nd if there’s a signi cant tonal shift between the two. If so, take note of what it sounds and feels like. Embracing Character Behaviors An essential aspect of getting into character is embracing their unique behaviors and traits. By studying how your character behaves, their mannerisms, speech patterns, and body language, you can accurately portray their personality and create a deeper connection with your audience. Self-awareness plays a crucial role in embracing character behaviors. By understanding your own personality traits and those of your character, you can develop a better portrayal and create a more genuine performance. fi fi fi fl fi fi fi fi #Your character’s clothing. You can do all of the above work—backstory, diarising, inner-monologuing, physical exploration, objectives, motivations—and still feel like you’re at square f**king one. Then, you put your character’s shoes on for the rst time and you go: fi fi fi # Archetypes. AKA Types—classic, ‘stock’ representations of character types—have a great power to steer you in the right direction if you feel like you’ve gone too far off course. Locking down choices, or even knowing where to start building your character from, can feel really challenging at times, particularly if you’re not given a whole lot to work with in the text. I nd that understanding which archetype my character is helps me to understand their dynamic with the other characters in the scene/play/ lm/story, and offers start to ow from there. Is your character: The know it all The Popular One The Wise One The Weirdo The Boy Crazy/Girl Crazy one The Class Clown The Sarcastic Quiet One The Baby The Drama Queen The Athlete/Jock The Dumb One The Anarchist/Gothic Rebel The Neurotic Nervous Worrier The Leader, Bossy Type The Loner, Nerd, Geek, science type And the types and tropes go on and on Or perhaps a blend of two or more? Realistically, everyone is a complex blend of archetypes all the time. What options can that open for you? How does that help develop an understanding of a character’s powers and limitations in the scene/play/their whole life? TV series and lms such as Friends, The Nanny, Seinfeld, Game of Thrones, Saving Private Ryan, Ocean’s 11 and Killing Eve are great examples of archetype work. In theatre, the examples are almost too numerous: The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Medea, Antigone, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The View from the Bridge, The Blue Room. It’s always a thrill and a joy to watch the actors establish their archetype, utilise it and subvert it. fi fl You can do all of the above work—backstory, diarising, inner-monologuing, physical exploration, objectives, motivations—and still feel like you’re at square f**king one. Then, you put your character’s shoes on for the rst time and you go: “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, here she is.” It can simply be where the pockets are placed on your character’s jacket that make you hold your arms differently. Or how you have to pull you shoulders so far back that your shoulder blades are almost pinching together; or the tight, restrictive lines of poorlytailored professional wear informing how trapped your character feels in their own life. How much does the weight of the crown on your head feel like the weight of responsibility over an entire nation of people: does it make you push your chest out? Curl your shoulders forward? And does this shift throughout the story? Sometimes, the clothes can do half the work for you. I wouldn’t suggest depending entirely on your character’s costume pieces to inform all of who they are, but it can sometimes be the missing piece of the puzzle—something that helps make your character feel lived in and allows an outside impetus to add to what’s going on inside. There’s a lot of inside-out work that needs doing, but don’t underestimate the power of the outside-in. #Character References Sometimes types help. But using a reference for a person or a character that you know well can be the magic key to understanding them fully. To know how they would approach and behave in any given moment. This is gold and a huge shortcut to guring it all out. Use real people, family, friends. TV or Film characters. Book Characters. fi fi fi fi fi #Developing Your Character’s Physicality from Head to Toe Physicality, along with your voice and imagination, helps you to tell a story. As an actor, it is important to develop your character’s physicality so that it is different from your own. The drama classroom is a great place for students to explore different physical attributes that they can use to make characters unique and real. These attributes can also be utilized during the rehearsal process of a show. Going head to toe is useful for developing a character’s physicality; that way, every body part is addressed and none of them are skipped over. Head, Face, & Neck Your face is one of the rst things someone else will notice when they see or meet you. Think about how your character’s face shows emotions/feelings. Does the character show their emotions clearly on their face or do they mask their feelings (i.e. have a “poker face”)? Does the character look others in the eye, or do they look away, down, or in another direction? Why? (This is a good indicator of your character’s con dence level, or else if they’re lying or distracted.) Does the character have a signature facial expression, or “resting face”? Do they tend to smile, sneer, grimace? Does the character have a physical ailment on their face or head (for example: blindness, deafness, missing teeth, stiff neck)? These will affect how the character moves his/her head and face. Upper Body (shoulders, arms, hands, chest, abdomen) Does the character have good posture? Do they stand up straight or slouch? Does the character swing their arms when they walk, or hold them tightly at their sides? Do they cross their arms, hug themselves, or wring their hands? How big are the character’s gestures? Do they use their hands while they speak? Do they touch other characters? Which ones? How do they touch them? Does the character breathe deeply or take shallow breaths? Is breathing easy or dif cult? Lower Body (lower back, hips, pelvis, legs, feet) Does the character move slowly or quickly? Why? Do they limp or stumble? Is the character light on their feet or do they plod and stomp along? Do they lift their feet when they walk? Do the character’s feet turn inwards or outwards when they walk? Do they walk heelrst or toe- rst? fi fi TV series and lms such as Friends, The Nanny, Seinfeld, Game of Thrones, Saving Private Ryan, Ocean’s 11 and Killing Eve are great examples of archetype work. In theatre, the examples are almost too numerous: The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Medea, Antigone, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The View from the Bridge, The Blue Room. It’s always a thrill and a joy to watch the actors establish their archetype, utilise it and subvert it. Additional Physicality Thoughts How old is your character? (A twelve year old, a fty year old, and an eighty year old will all move differently.) How physically t is your character? Are they strong or weak? Have they ever been an athlete? What past or present physical challenges/ailments has your character had, if any? Injuries? Sickness? These questions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to thinking about a character’s physicality. Students may come up with many more thoughts and questions while exploring their characters. Once students have a clear plan for how their characters physically express themselves try it out, and explore! Exploring Physical and Emotional Traits Characters have unique physical and emotional traits that in uence their behavior and mannerisms. Analyze your character's physicality, gestures, expressions, and emotional states throughout the script. By embodying these traits, you can create a compelling and nuanced performance. Voice and Speech Analysis Analyze your character's vocal characteristics, such as accent, tone, pitch, and speech patterns. Understand how these aspects contribute to their personality and background. By re ning your voice and speech to match the character, you can enhance the believability of your performance. Physicality and Movement Characters express themselves through their physicality and movement. Analyze your character's posture, gait, gestures, and facial expressions. Explore how these physical elements re ect their emotional state and personality. By incorporating appropriate physicality, you can bring your character to life visually. Posture, Gestures, and Expressions Pay attention to your character's posture, gestures, and facial expressions in different situations. Analyze how these physical choices align with their emotional state, intentions, and relationships with other characters. Fine-tuning these details will add depth and authenticity to your performance. Breaking Down the Characters Studying the Character's Background and Motivations To portray a character convincingly, it's essential to understand their background, experiences, and motivations. Dive into their history, personality traits, and any signi cant events that shaped them. This knowledge will inform your choices and help you embody the character more authentically. fl fi fl fi fi fl fi fi Exploring Relationships and Dynamics Characters don't exist in isolation; they are shaped by their relationships with others. Analyze the dynamics between your character and other signi cant characters in the script. Consider the nature of these relationships, the power dynamics, and any con icts or tensions that arise. Understanding the character's interactions will inform your choices during scenes. Characters don't exist in isolation; they are shaped by their relationships with others. Analyze the dynamics between your character and other signi cant characters in the script. Consider the nature of these relationships, the power dynamics, and any con icts or tensions that arise. Understanding the character's interactions will inform your choices during scenes. Analyzing Character Arcs and Development Every character undergoes a transformation throughout the script. Analyze your character's arc, observing how they evolve emotionally, psychologically, or physically. Look for key moments or turning points that contribute to their development. Understanding the character's journey will help you navigate their emotional state and growth. Decoding Character Motivation Character motivation drives the actions and decisions of the characters. Dive deep into your character's psyche to understand their desires, fears, and goals. By decoding their motivation, you can create a three-dimensional character that resonates with the audience. Identifying Character Arcs Characters often undergo transformations and growth throughout the script. Analyze your character's arc, from their initial state to their nal transformation. Understanding the evolution of your character will enable you to portray their journey convincingly. Character Analysis: Discovering Your Role Character analysis is a crucial aspect of script analysis. Dive into the complexities of your character by examining their backstory, motivations, desires, and con icts. By understanding your character's journey, you can develop a profound connection and bring authenticity to your performance. fl fl fi fi fi Building a Character's History To create a fully realized character, delve into their backstory. Develop details about their upbringing, experiences, relationships, and signi cant events that shape who they are. By constructing a comprehensive backstory, you can bring depth and authenticity to your portrayal.