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Acting Tips: How To Research & Build Your Character

General Character Background Questions

• Where were you raised - city, suburbs or country?
• Are you the life of the party or a wallflower?
• Are you a leader or a follower?
• Are you religious?
• What is your birth order? Are you the responsible oldest child, or the carefree charming youngest? Are you an only child?
• What was your childhood like; sheltered, abusive, dull, happy?
• Where is the character in terms of location and time period?

Scene/Monologue Specific Questions:

• Who is the character talking to and where is this person located?
• What is the relationship between the character and the people to whom he/she is speaking?
• What has happened just before the character starts speaking?
• What provokes the character to speak?
• How does the character change from beginning to end of the scene/monologue?
• What is the character's objective during the monologue?
• What does he/she hope to accomplish by saying it and what different tactics does he/she use during it to accomplish the goal?

More Links & Resources for Character Research

Building a Character by Konstantin Stanislavsky, Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood

Tools and Techniques for Character Interpretation: A Handbook of Psychology for Actors, Writers, and Directors

The Actor's Roadmap - Character Acting