Character
A fictional person whose actions, decisions, and desires drive the story of a film.
Character
noun | Screenwriting & Development
A fictional person - or, in some films, an anthropomorphized animal or entity - whose actions, desires, decisions, and conflicts form the substance of a film's story. Characters are the agents through whom a film's themes are explored and its events experienced. A screenplay may contain one central character or dozens, but a film's emotional impact almost always depends on how clearly and honestly its characters are drawn.
Quick Reference
| Also Known As | |
| Domain | Screenwriting & Development |
| Also Used In | Production (call sheets, cast lists), Post-Production (dialogue editing, sound design), Animation (character design) |
| Key Distinction | |
| Related Terms | Protagonist, Antagonist, Actor, Dialogue, Screenplay |
| See Also (Tools) | Shot List Generator |
| Difficulty | Foundational |
The Explanation: How & Why
A character in a screenplay is not the same as a real person. Real people contain contradictions, change over time, and resist clean narrative function. A screenplay character must do all of that while also serving the story - their desires must create conflict, their decisions must have consequences, and their arc (if they have one) must be legible to an audience watching the film for the first time.
The distinction between flat and round characters, introduced by E.M. Forster in Aspects of the Novel (1927), remains useful. A flat character exists primarily to serve a plot function (the informant, the comic relief, the villain's henchman) with limited interiority. A round character has a life beyond their plot function - contradictory traits, private motivations, and behavior that sometimes resists what the plot requires of them. Most memorable film characters are round. However, flat characters are not inherently inferior. The Coen brothers construct flat characters with such precise behavioral detail that they become memorable without interiority - Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007) is functionally flat, yet unforgettable.
Character is communicated through three channels: what the character says (dialogue), what the character does (action), and what other characters say about them (exposition). The most powerful characterization relies on action rather than dialogue - a character who claims to be generous but consistently acts selfishly is more interesting than one who simply states their values. Robert Towne's script for Chinatown (1974) builds Jake Gittes almost entirely through behavior: his reaction to being slapped, the way he handles a client, how he talks to someone he considers beneath him. The audience reads the character through action, not declaration.
In production, characters are assigned to actors and tracked on the call sheet. A character's scenes are scheduled around the actor's availability. In editing, a character's arc is evaluated across the entire cut - does the emotional journey make sense from first appearance to final scene? The editor may reorder scenes, hold on reactions longer, or cut lines of dialogue to reshape how the audience reads a character's trajectory.
Historical Context & Origin
The analysis of character as a dramatic concept originates with Aristotle's Poetics (c. 335 BCE), which described character (ethos) as one of the six elements of drama, subordinate to plot (mythos). Aristotle argued that tragedy is primarily an imitation of action, not of character, and that character exists to serve the action. The hierarchy has been contested ever since. Henry James's 1884 essay "The Art of Fiction" argued for the primacy of character in the modern novel. E.M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel (1927) formalized the flat/round distinction that screenwriters still use. Modernist literature and cinema of the 20th century frequently inverted Aristotle's priority - character-driven films, where the story grows from who the people are rather than from external plot events, became a distinct and respected form. Films like Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) and Inland Empire (2006) push character interiority to the foreground while dissolving conventional plot structure almost entirely. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides a detailed overview of Aristotle's hierarchy and its interpretive history.
How It's Used in Practice
Scenario 1 - Development (Writer): A screenwriter developing a drama creates a character biography for her lead before writing a single scene: 38 years old, second-generation immigrant, a professional success who privately measures herself against her mother's sacrifices and finds herself inadequate. None of this backstory appears explicitly in the film, but it informs every scene the character appears in. The writer knows things about the character that the audience will only sense.
Scenario 2 - On Set (Director / Actor): During a difficult scene, an actor asks the director why her character would stay in the relationship rather than leave. The director does not answer the question with plot logic - "because the story needs her to stay." Instead, they discuss the character's history, her fear of repeating her parents' pattern, and her specific attachment to this particular person. The answer lives inside the character, not in the script's structure.
Scenario 3 - Post-Production (Editor): The editor cuts a scene in which a secondary character makes a choice that will have consequences later in the film. In the available takes, one performance plays the choice consciously (the character knows what they are doing); another plays it unconsciously (the character acts without full awareness of the implications). The editor chooses the unconscious take - it will make the later revelation land harder.
Usage Examples in Sentences
"The screenplay has four principal characters; the film's success depends on the audience investing in all four within the first 15 minutes."
"The character's defining trait is revealed in the opening scene - not through dialogue but through a single action."
"She built the character from the outside in: she found the walk first, then the voice, and the emotional life followed."
"On the call sheet, each character is listed with their actor's name and their scenes for the day."
Common Confusions & Misuse
Character vs. Actor: A character is the fictional person in the story. An actor is the real person who portrays that character. The distinction matters practically: on the call sheet, you schedule the actor; in the screenplay, you write the character. Confusing the two causes problems in development discussions ("the actor is too sympathetic" when the writer means "the character is written too sympathetically") and in editorial notes.
Character vs. Persona: An actor's public persona - their star image, their off-screen reputation - can interact with a character they play, but the two are distinct. Casting a well-known actor in a villainous role uses the audience's attachment to their persona as a dramatic tool. The character is what is written; the persona is what the actor brings to it from outside. Bill Hader's casting against his comedic persona in The Cat in the Hat (2003) and Barry (2018-2023) demonstrates how persona-character friction generates dramatic interest.
Character vs. Caricature: A caricature is a simplified exaggeration of a type - the corrupt politician, the manic pixie dream girl, the wise mentor. A character may begin as a type but must acquire specificity to become a character rather than a caricature. The specificity is in the contradiction: the corrupt politician who genuinely loves his children, the manic pixie dream girl who is privately depressed, the wise mentor who is wrong about something important. Without contradiction, the figure remains a caricature.
Character Arc vs. Character Change: Not every character needs an arc. Some of the most memorable film characters do not change - James Bond, Indiana Jones, Anton Chigurh. A character arc is a specific structure where the character's internal state transforms through the story's events. Character change is a broader category that includes any difference between the character at the beginning and at the end. A character can change without an arc (they learn a fact that alters their understanding but not their behavior) and can have an arc without obvious change (the arc is in the audience's understanding, not the character's behavior).
Variations by Context
| Context | How "Character" Applies |
|---|---|
| Screenplay | Characters are named, described, and given dialogue; their arcs are implicit in the story structure |
| Production | Each character is tracked by name on call sheets, scene breakdowns, and cast lists; SAG-AFTRA classifies roles by number of days worked and dialogue |
| Animation | Characters are designed visually before they are performed; the character design itself communicates personality |
| Documentary | Real people function as characters in the narrative; the filmmaker shapes their characterization through selection and framing |
| Performance Capture | Actors' performances are mapped onto digital characters; the character is a hybrid of actor and technology |
Key People & Films
Aristotle's Poetics (c. 335 BCE) established the foundational framework. E.M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel (1927) introduced the flat/round distinction. Robert Towne's screenplay for Chinatown (1974) is a masterclass in characterization through action. The Coen brothers have built a body of work demonstrating that flat characters can be as memorable as round ones - Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men, 2007), Marge Gunderson (Fargo, 1996), and Llewyn Davis (Inside Llewyn Davis, 2013). Charlie Kaufman's scripts (Adaptation, 2002; Synecdoche, New York, 2008) push character interiority to structural extremes. Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman (1975) remains the definitive example of character communicated through routine behavior rather than dialogue. Sean Baker's Anora (2024), winner of the Palme d'Or, builds its central character through behavioral specificity in high-pressure situations rather than through backstory exposition.
Equipment / Tools Reference
Final Draft and Fade In are the standard screenwriting software for creating and tracking characters. Final Draft's Character Navigator tracks all characters and their scene appearances across the script. Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro are the NLEs where editors evaluate character arcs across the full cut. For animated characters, Autodesk Maya and Toon Boom Harmony are the primary tools for character design and rigging. For performance capture, Weta FX's APFS (Anatomically Plausible Facial System) maps actor performances onto digital characters with approximately 90% to 95% fidelity. On set, the script supervisor maintains character continuity notes using Movie Magic Scheduling and ScriptE software.
Standards & Specifications
The Writers Guild of America registers screenplays containing character descriptions and dialogue. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) classifies characters by role type, which determines pay rates and working conditions. A "day player" speaks fewer than 50 lines and works fewer than 5 days. A "major role" exceeds those thresholds. These classifications affect budget, scheduling, and residuals. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes character-driven work through Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay categories. Aristotle's Poetics remains the standard reference text for character theory in dramatic writing programs.
Common Questions / FAQ
Q: How many characters should a screenplay have?
A: As many as the story requires and no more. A character study may need one or two. An ensemble drama may need eight to twelve. A blockbuster may need dozens. The test is whether each character earns their place - does removing them weaken the story? If not, cut them. Every character who appears on screen costs production time and money, and every character who does not contribute dilutes the audience's attention.
Q: Does every character need an arc?
A: No. Supporting characters often function without arcs - they exist to serve the protagonist's story. Even protagonists do not always need arcs. James Bond does not change. Indiana Jones does not change. What matters is that the character is specific enough to be memorable and that their behavior creates the story's conflict. An arc is one structural option, not a requirement.
Q: What is the difference between a protagonist and a main character?
A: The protagonist drives the story - their goal creates the plot. The main character is the character the audience follows most closely. They are usually the same person, but not always. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is the protagonist but Nick is the main character. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy is the protagonist but Red is the main character. The distinction matters for narrative perspective and for whose arc the audience experiences from the inside.
Related Terms
- Protagonist - The central character whose goal drives the story; the character the audience most closely follows
- Antagonist - The character or force that opposes the protagonist's goal; the source of the central conflict
- Actor - The real person who embodies and performs a character in the film
- Dialogue - The words characters speak; one of the three primary tools of characterization in a screenplay
- Screenplay - The document in which characters are created and their arcs are structured
See Also / Tools
For developing characters in the context of story structure, see the blog for articles on screenplay development and story construction. The Shot List Generator allows you to plan shots with specific character blocking in mind, connecting character decisions in the script to visual decisions on set.
