Jesse Plemons on How He Created Todd, His ‘Breaking Bad’ Character
Jesse Plemons reveals that he discovered the character as he grew into the role because he wasn’t given much to start with from creator Vince Gilligan.
Michael Emerson on How He Creates Characters and the Advice He Gives to Actors
Michael Emerson chats about his career, detailing how he portrays his characters and shares the best advice he has for actors.
How Does Ben Affleck Find and Create a Character?
Ben Affleck, who has played a variety of roles in his career, spoke about how he prepares to play his different characters.
How Did Lupita Nyong’o Create Her Two Characters in Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’?
Lupita Nyong’o explains that she approached the two characters she plays in Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ from different physical places.
How Does Patricia Arquette Approach Characters That Appear “Horrendous”?
Patricia Arquette explains how she’s able to portray such despicable characters and why she believes that she’s doing the best work of her career now.
Edie Falco on Her Career, Roles and Creating a Character
Edie Falco spoke about her career and explains why she feels so lucky when it comes to the roles she has been cast in.
Ben Whishaw: “My job is not to make any judgement on a character”
Ben Wishaw on playing a real person, meeting the man he is portraying, and what it was like playing Hamlet at such a young age.
How Josh Brolin Prepares for a Role
“You gather all of the information and look at it all, and panic, and then you start to slowly build this character.” – Josh Brolin
Giancarlo Esposito on How He Creates a Character
“I get a [blank] book for every character that I do, and start to write out what some of his traits might be” – Giancarlo Esposito on Creating a Character
Eddie Izzard on Creating a Character: “I should be able to come off script and improvise”
“The better you researched it – the better you are into the character before you land on the set, the easier it’s going to be. ” – Eddie Izzard on Preparing for a Role
Rachel Bay Jones on Finding Her ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Character
“We always try to find the recognizable thread. The thing that we relate to is always the strongest point to start from.” – Rachel Bay Jones
Katherine Waterston: If your character is “fascinating to you then it doesn’t feel like a choice to spend your days with them”
“I think everything happens organically. You mine for clues. It’s all immersive and stuff you can use comes out of that immersion.” – Katherine Waterston on Creating a Character
Ewan McGregor on Playing Two Roles on ‘Fargo’: “The challenging part is making sure they’re both unique people”
“I felt like I understood them from the writing and I don’t make the job very complicated for myself as an actor.” – Ewan McGregor on ‘Fargo’
David Oyelowo on How He Played a King for ‘A United Kingdom’
Oyelowo explains how he approached a key scene where he had to give a speech defending his character to his people.
Ruth Wilson on Creating a Character, Accents and More
I create a workbook by which I go through and write down everything every other character says about my character, what I say about myself and others
Jeff Bridges: “You might magnify those aspects of yourself that work with the character”
“Start with yourself and see what kind of lines up with the character” – Jeff Bridges
Tom Hardy Talks About the “subtleties and complexities and paradoxes” of Playing Villains
“I have to find an identifier, a silhouette which immediately radiates something for me.” – Tom Hardy on Creating a Character
Octavia Spencer on Period Pieces: “I don’t come out of the time period; I stay in it”
“I listen to music of the time and I only deal with family and friends that are on the film” – Octavia Spencer
Jeff Bridges on Creating a Character, ‘Hell or High Water’ and Playing The Dude
“I use elements of myself—I see my parallels with a character—and find similar things in my own personality.” – Jeff Bridges on Creating a Character
Rebecca Hall on Creating a Character: “A lot of it is instinctive”
“Sometimes I can spend months doing things to make sure that my instincts work correctly, but ultimately it’s still instinctive.” – Rebecca Hall on Creating a Character
