01 Mar Developing Characters: Bringing Characters to Life
Here are some acting tips for developing characters:
Think the thoughts of the character
This is one of the foundational steps in developing characters. You must be thinking the thoughts of your character in order to bring your character to life. This especially applies to the “moment before” your scene or first line. Think: where has your character been and what were they doing yesterday, this morning, and 5 minutes ago? What are they thinking right now, in this instant? Your characters’ thoughts will truly impact the trajectory of an entire scene.
For example, if your character is a female 11th grade English teacher, perhaps she was up until midnight last night grading papers and had to be at the school at 6:45am this morning for a staff meeting. Perhaps she just spilled coffee on her sweater, 2 minutes before the bell rang and is feeling frazzled trying to blot the stain. As she greets her students, she could be thinking “I will never get through this day!”
Here’s an alternate scenario: the very same teacher finished all of her work by 5pm yesterday and had a very relaxing evening watching a film with a friend. She went to bed early, slept for 8 hours, and arrived at school excited to begin a new unit on creative writing. At the start of her first class, she could be thinking, “I am excited to teach my new lesson!”
Same character – different thoughts! The circumstances of your scene will inform your character’s backstory and thoughts. Stay true to the scene when developing characters and when thinking their thoughts.
Embody the beliefs of the character
This is a deeper level of character work. Even if your character does not speak of their core beliefs, you can establish them.
Does your character follow a certain religion? Do they possess specific moral or political views?
Does your character present themselves as having certain views while hiding certain truths?
For example, the movie Sister Act is a comedy that spotlights the lives of several (fictional) nuns. Most of the leading characters are nuns, including Sister Mary Clarence. What we as the audience also know is that Sister Mary Clarence is actually a lounge singer named Deloris Van Cartier, who is hiding out in a convent as part of a witness protection program. Deloris is pretending to be a nun (the rest of the nuns know this and have varying opinions of Deloris). Deloris does not have the exact same thoughts, beliefs, and practices as the nuns in the convent. Also, each nun in the convent has a different personality and different ways of practicing her faith. This is what makes this story interesting.
If your character practices a certain religion that you do not, it would be ideal to research this religion to better understand your character’s worldview. The same goes for political beliefs and any other core beliefs.
You can’t mess up as long as you are in character!
Did you forget a line during a play? It’s okay! It happens to every actor. Keep moving. Stay present in the scene. Continue to embody your character. As long as you’ve done your homework and are staying true to your character, you cannot go wrong.
There are bound to be occasional mishaps, particularly during live theatre shows, and part of your job as the actor is to stay present and to “roll with it.” Some of the best moments in comedic theatre are born out of happy accidents. In order to sharpen your skills and to feel more comfortable reacting to unexpected events, I suggest taking an improv class. We incorporate improv into our training at 3-2-1 Acting School in Los Angeles; improv exercises have helped our students tremendously.
Enjoy the process!
We hope you enjoy the process of developing characters! We are wishing you the very best and look forward to seeing you either online or in person at 3-2-1 Acting School in LA!
