Character Ideas: What Are They, and How Do I Use Them for Character Development?

Written by Pandora Scooter

August 16, 2017

Where do you get the best character ideas for playing a role? You get them from the script! Read on to learn about three examples of actors who took lines from the screenplays they were acting in order to create compelling and exciting character ideas.

First off, what is a character idea? A character idea is a concept that you bring to the character in order to make it seem like a three dimensional person. It’s often an idea that comes from the script. Often, too, it involves creating some kind of physical change in your behavior to really sculpt the character.

1. Bobby Canavale in Blue Jasmine




One great example of a character idea is Bobby Canavale’s portrayal of Chili in Blue Jasmine. In this scene, you see him fighting with Ginger (Sally Hawkins, who is also doing a great job with her character) about her seeing another man. In the script it is made very clear that Chili is the opposite of what Ginger’s sister Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) would consider a “acceptable” companion. Jasmine is a Park Avenue sophisticate-type who married a Wall Street multimillionaire, so Canavale created a white trash, completely unsophisticated character. The viewer can see this choice manifest in his choices about his speech, posture and laugh. Anyone who has seen Canavale in other films knows this character is a stretch for him, and he does a great job with it.

2. Rooney Mara in Carol




Another excellent example is Rooney Mara in Carol. The character, Therese Belivet, is written to be totally mesmerized with Carol (Cate Blanchett), an elegant, wealthy, graceful woman. To contrast herself from Carol, Mara chose to create a wide-eyed, innocent, curious character who seemed like a complete shift from the somewhat jaundiced Carol. In comparison, Mara’s Therese comes across like an innocent child and she effectively delivers the coming of age tale that the screenplay requires.

3. Steve Carrell in Foxcatcher




Finally, we’ve got Steve Carrell in the role of John du Pont in Foxcatcher. At first appearance, it seems odd that Carrell continues to look down his large (prosthetic) nose at Channing Tatum and other characters. Then, about a third of the way through the film, the character reveals that he wants to be referred to as “Eagle.” Suddenly, at this moment, his choice to look down his nose (read: beak) at everyone is clearly a personification of this bird.  Carrell played du Pont like a vicious, predatory eagle. It was a brilliant choice that came directly from the script.

In conclusion, it is so important when looking for character ideas that you look to the script and don’t impose ideas on the script that aren’t already in the text. These three examples, and many more below, give examples of actors doing just this: relying on the script for their character ideas.

Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Meryl Streep, Devil Wears Prada
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia
Michael Keaton, Beetlejuice
Christopher Guest, Waiting for Guffman



Need some advice? We’ve got you covered.

Pandora Scooter is a national touring performer.  She’s written and performed 13 solo shows. Most recently, she wrote, produced and starred in a feminist punk rock musical called wRETCH as part of the Fresh Fruit Festival.  On the faculty of the esteemed Terry Knickerbocker studio, she has developed a methodology to script analysis about which she has written a book.  She is a native of Washington DC and lives with her fiance and daughter in central New Jersey.