In a post on Writers Write, Elaine Dodge says writers can pick up some creative tips about character from actors.
The key is the subtext actors bring to a role. “For example, how does David Tennant’s interpretation of Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing compare with Kenneth Branagh’s?” Dodge asks. “It’s simple, really. The way Tennant plays the man reveal aspects of the aristocratic soldier that Branagh’s doesn’t, and vice versa.”
While neither actor’s interpretation was wrong, Dodge uses the example to show that merely describing a character or character type is not enough. “Every character in our books should be a living, breathing person,” she says.
When Helen Mirren reads a script, she finds the point where her character exits the story. Is it the last page or some time before then? She examines how the character’s story ends, if the exit is meaningful, and if it impacts the story and other characters. Good advice for creating and adding characters to your story. Why are they there? When they leave, does their exit leave a mark? If the exit doesn’t change the story, ask if the character is important enough to be there or beef up their emotional impact.
