Lesson 1

[Tony Scott]

Tony J Scott Actor Attractors 30 Days of Night

My true vision as a writer is to fall in love with writing and stay motivated to write from the love of writing and not as a chore and then hoping others will love my creations and become well known as a top writer in the screenplay community.

I learned how to look for the essence of the actor and express it in a way the actor can see themself in the role.

Movie Title: 30 Days of Night, Protagonist Eben Oleson

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? Small town sheriff in Alaska committed to the towns people. He’s disappointed that his marriage has failed, loves his wife. He has to be strong and brave for everyone in the town.

2. What makes this character the most interesting character in the movie? He has to figure it out as he goes. He has no idea how to defeat the monsters attacking his town folk and has to make some very difficult decisions. His demeanor had no noticeable change but his commitment continues to evolve.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? He has to kill innocent town folk who turn into monsters. He doesn’t take revenge on the stranger who killed people in his town. He gives a citation to someone just to make them feel loved. He surrenders to the ultimate sacrifice to save the life of his wife and town folk.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? He’s introduced as a humble sheriff investigating a crime scene in the middle of Barrow Alaska which shows how keen his intuition is. He’s an intense person with some humor and has asthma. He goes about doing his daily routine, giving out citations to law breakers but for their own good. He’s wondering why a series of crimes are suddenly happening on this special day. After finding out that all the sled dogs in the town have been slaughtered he goes on the hunt for the perp.

5. What is this character’s emotional range? His mood is, he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders however through all the pain he goes through he does manage to rekindle things with his wife. He goes from a scared sheriff to a warrior in the end defeating the head monster and gaining the respect of the other monsters.

6. What subtext can the actor play? When talking with his wife he hides his true feelings from her. He hides his fear by staying calm and cool headed at all times. He tries to get a leg up on the monsters so he can save the town folk.

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? He loves his brother and his wife dearly. He has a competitive relationship with the head monster although he hides from him through the whole movie.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? By staying cool and calm and keeping his emotions in check. He has great leadership skills.

9. What makes this character special and unique? His outstanding leadership skills earn him the respect and confidence of the town folk and in the end even the monsters have to respect his leadership traits.

10. In the climax scene the monsters try to set the town on fire as to not leave a trace that they were ever there. Eben sees that the fire is about to kill his wife and an innocent little girl. Eben decides to become a vampire so he can fight the vampire leader so his wife can escape the flames.

Lead Character Name: Marlow (Antagonist)

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? Marlow is the lead vampire who kills without mercy and doesn’t want to turn any victims or leave any trace behind. He has a certain code and emotions for his followers.

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? He is devoted to completing the mission and even plans to return the following year. He is ruthless. They all speak in a unique vampire language.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? He takes the life of the woman he loves once she becomes injured and can no longer fend for herself. He kills his vampire familiar when he’s seen as helpless handcuffed in a jail cell. He respects Eben as a leader when he decides to fight him one on one.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? He’s first introduced as a ruthless vicious vampire monster, leading his pack to killing someone and putting his head on a spike. He’s very well respected by his followers. He has a very unique language

5. What is this character’s emotional range? He shows sympathy for his female follower before he kills her but also uses an innocent girl as bait and then slaughters her for her failure.

6. What subtext can the actor play? There is nowhere for the victims to run or hide. The victims don’t deserve to live and they don’t deserve to become vampires. Humans are nothing but food.

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? His non physical relationship with Eben until the end when they finally meet is very interesting.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? He has demanding and impressive leadership skills.

9. What makes this character special and unique? His language is unique. He never punishes or seems surprised when the town folk turn into vampires after he ordered his followers not to turn anyone. He knows that there are only three days left to burn the town down.

10. When Marlow has to kill the woman vampire he seems to care the most for because she’s been injured by fire, he becomes even more angry and decides to not leave any trace that they have been there. He decides to burn the whole town down.

[Will Jennings]

Will Jennings Actor attractors for Something’s Gotta Give

My Vision: I will write movies that are extremely funny and entertaining that bring a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment to a world starving for true enjoyment.

What I learned from doing this assignment is the depth of emotion an actor wishes to feel in a role.

ACTOR ATTRACTORS Template

Movie Title: Something’s Gotta Give

Lead Character Name: Jack Nicholson / Harry Sanborn

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? In real life, having dated such women like Carly Simon, Candice Bergen, Joni Mitchell, the “Hollywood Madam” and on and on…he would delight in playing the role of a womanizer.

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? A man in his 60s dates the most beautiful women in their 20s. He is a man women gravitate to and find irresistible. He drives a cool sports car and has a limo.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? Successful owner of ten companies, only dating women under 30, is a legend in the recording industry. Had a magazine article written about him as a Don Juan titled: The Escape Artist.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? He does a voice-over announcing himself as a man who has dated younger women for 40 years. A montage of supermodels are shown arriving at clubs, bars, and restaurants.

5. What is this character’s emotional range? From the male chauvinistic pig to a weeping man happy to be alive. In the end, he contacts numerous old flings to find out why he hurt so many women’s feelings.

6. What subtext can the actor play? As a chauvinist, he is thinking about what the woman can do for him. As an emerging sensitive person, how can I not hurt this person?

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? His 20-something fling with Marin, his fling with her mother Erica who is over 50. His love triangle with the doctor who saved his life, Julian Mercer.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? He is an old-school man that doesn’t have a sense of a women’s feelings. He is arrogant, self-righteous, condescending yet loveable.

9. What makes this character special and unique? He is a man’s man who is trusted into a women’s world and finds that he must adapt to achieve the happiness he is ultimately looking for.

10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.) After having a fling with Erica, he runs into her at a restaurant while dating a much younger woman. Erica dissolves into tears at the rejection and Harry ends up at the hospital with chest pains. The doctor informs him he is having a stress reaction and he needs to decompress. This begins his journey of becoming a sensitive person to women.

ACTOR ATTRACTORS Template

Movie Title: Something’s Gotta Give

Lead Character Name: Diane Keaton / Erica Barry

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? A rom-com for a 50s woman who is a successful playwright who writes the best Broadway play of her life about the antagonist after being dumped by the lousy womanizer. World-league revenge.

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? All she wants to do is be left alone and write and she becomes the center of everyone’s life.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? A major big-time writer is forced to babysit a heart attack victim in her own home. A woman who despises a man becomes his lover then his former lover.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? She finds an older man in her magnificent beach house and calls the cops. She discovers he is dating her daughter and is appalled he is such a jerk.

5. What is this character’s emotional range? She lives in a state of anxiety always on the defensive. When relaxed she is loving and very helpful to everyone.

6. What subtext can the actor play? You can feel the frustration when she is diverted from her plans.

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? A loving mother to Marin, a woman that hasn’t dated for 30 years and has a tryst with Harry. An admirer doctor that is very interested in her.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented? In a world of panic, she finds a way to rise to the top and win in the end.

9. What makes this character special and unique? A divorced woman falls in love with a cad and turns the tragic story into a smash Broadway play.

10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)

Harry walks into a play rehearsal to realize he is the person being satirized on Broadway. She tells him he messed with the heroin and that it is OK if he doesn’t want to remain friends. She goes from being completely devastated to incredibly powerful.

[Maureen Tilyou]

MY VISION: By nurturing fun and curiosity in the writing process,
I will do my very best to create a successful writing career full of
love, full of awe, full of productivity, and full of joy!

What I learned doing this assignment is how a truly amazing film can grab you and keep you on te edge of your seat, even if you’ve seen it 10-15 times. I didn’t tink I really wanted to watch it again, but Wow! I’m glad I did.

Movie Title: The Fugitive

Lead Character Name: Richard Kimble

Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role?

He’s
going through hell continually, from his wife’s murder to his
conviction and death sentence, to the bus crash and train wreak,
etc, etc –and he still fights on. This is the role of a lifetime!

What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in
the movie?

His relentless pursuit of the truth behind his wife’s death.

What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie?

– Faced
with an oncoming train, choosing to sae another man’s life before he
jumps out of the bus himself.

– Jumping
off a ridiculously high Viaduct

– All
instances of him investigating in Chicago, and continuously putting
himself in danger to get to the truth.

How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor?

Introduced in a riveting montage of scenes that lay out his wife’s
murder, his arrest, conviction and death sentence. The way it’s
filmed, it feels like you are in his nightmare.

What is this character’s emotional range?

From grief at his wife’s death, to anger when they accuse him, to
fear when they convict him, to even more intense fear on the bus with
the train bearing down on them, to determination, to desperation, to
disappointment and anger at his best friend who betrayed him, etc,
etc, etc. All nuanced and compelling.

What subtext can the actor play? Subtext throughout. From meeting
Dr Lentz, who hasn’t been returning his calls in the beginning, to
being put in leg irons, to being on the bus watching the other
inmates’ little plan unfold, then constantly pretending to be
someone else- his inner subtext is shown to us over and over.

What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?

Definitely with Gerard.

How is this character’s unique voice presented?

He doesn’t talk a lot but his words are precise, meaningful. He
engages with the world as it comes to him- with just what is
needed- no more- in both actions and words.

What makes this character special and unique?

Kimble is incredibly moral- and he’s as relentless in
his need to prove his innocence and find the truth as Gerard is in
trying to catch him. Through it all, you can see and hear his intense discomfort, but his words and actions remain precise and decisive.

(Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the
Actor Attractor model.)

The
scene with Gerard where Kimble tells him he didn’t kill his wife,
and Gerard says he doesn’t care, and Kimble jumps into the river
from a deadly height.

One
more thing– In case you haven’t guessed– I truly LOVE this movie!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by  Maureen Tilyou.

[Ron Johnson]

My Vision: I want a space that is dedicated to writing, so I can have an entire wall for notecard storyboarding. I want my projects to advance in competitions and then be requested by the studios. I want to see those projects in festivals, in theaters, on streaming platforms. I want writing and producing to be my full time job.

What I learned doing this assignment was how important it is to find really cool and interesting things for the actor to do and to start out fast. Knowing that I need to add this kind of stuff in the beginning will make the writing process much quicker.

Thriller/Drama: Out of the Furnace.

Christian Bale Woody Harrelson

Christian Bale Protagonist Russell Baze

1)The range of emotions he plays. Compassion for family to out for revenge bad ass.

2)He stands up for his friends, cares for his family. In prison he doesn’t back down to anyone.

3)Friend is being bullied by heavies and he interrupts the meeting and doesn’t back down when the bad guy tries to intimidate him. In bed with his beautiful girlfriend, fights latino in prison who tried to intimidate him. His girlfriend leaves him for the man who put him in prison. Hunts down and lures the man who killed his friend and brother.

4) working class guy who finds his brother betting on the ponies. Shows concern and passion while not backing down.

5) From calm compassion to vengeful killing. Always looking to help those around him.

6) Passionate love for his family and girlfriend, the pain of loss and heartbreak.

7)With his brother Rodney who suffers from PTSD from Iraq, pushes him to be responsible to himself and the family, but understands Rodney’s inner pain.

8) Soft spoken with strength and integrity.

9) He desires to stay in the shadows but his sense of morality keeps pushing him ahead.

Woody Harrelson Harlan DeGroat

1) plays a hard drinking bad ass who has no problem beating up strangers or his girl.

2) He’s an evil force set to collect as much as he can from whoever he can. Runs numbers, illegal fight club, drugs, loan sharking.

3) Beats up his girl and then a good Samaritan who comes to her aid. Taunts Rodney to intimidate him, measuring him up for future profits. Ambushes and kills John and Rodney.

4) Drinking hard liquor at a drive Inn theater, can’t take a little ribbing and beats up everyone who stands up to him.

5) Cohersive calm to brute violence.

6) His obsession is money and power. Multiple ways of intimidation.

7) John-he preys on him for cash flow but also need him for cash flow.

8) Constantly looking for ways to exploit people

9) He’s a machine of evil.

[Anna Burroughs-Merrill]

Anna’s Actor attractors for “Solace”.

My personal vision: to get my writing mojo back.

What I learned from doing this assignment: It was interesting to first search for a movie that had multiple similarities to the one I am writing (genre, sub-genre, key elements) and then analyze who the actors are, where they were in their careers at the time the movie was filmed, and guess what might have motivated them to take on this movie for a reason other than “getting paid.” The movie I chose was a thriller with a serial killer / police procedure and a hint of the supernatural – not an exact fit, but “close enough.”

——————————

Lead Actor #1: Anthony Hopkins

• Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? – He plays a physician-psychic who is helping the police catch a serial killer.
• What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? – Besides the fact this is Anthony Hopkins (‘nuff said); playing a psychic detective, Hopkins gives his usual solid performance that adds a whole additional layer of drama and subtext to whatever character he is playing.
• What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? – Although Dr. Clancy foresees the future quite accurately, he withholds the knowledge from those around him until he understands what he is actually seeing. He knows the symbolism can be misinterpreted, and that “I see you getting shot in the head” isn’t helpful without context to change the future.
• How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? – There is a lot of buildup between Agent Merriweather and Agent Cowles about whether Dr. Clancy is “stable” enough to help out after his daughter’s death from leukemia. He is then introduced as a grieving father who had withdrawn from the world, cut off all ties, and is living out of unpacked boxes.
• What is this character’s emotional range? – Dr. John Clancy doesn’t just talk about grieving his daughter’s death from leukemia, you FEEL his pain as he talks about his helplessness as he watched her suffer, and it adds credibility to his performance while searching for the killer.
• What subtext can the actor play? – We’re talking Anthony Hopkins, here. He invented “subtext.”
• What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? – His friendship with Agent Merriweather is interesting, but the slightly-antagonistic relationship which develops between him and Agent Katherine Cowles is especially poignant. But the most interesting relationship is the one which develops between him and the serial killer (Colin Farrell). They are both psychic, they both understand the pain and devastation a fatal illness can bring upon both the dying patient and the family, and both wish to alleviate suffering. The serial killer just has a twisted way of doing it.
• How is this character’s unique voice presented? – There’s a line of dialogue between Dr. Clancy and the parents of a young boy who was murdered (Christian Scientists) who don’t trust to authorize an autopsy to search whether the boy was sick. He tells them about being helpless while his daughter grew sick, suffered, and died, and that he did not wish to play god, simply to find their son’s killer.
• What makes this character special and unique? – It’s Anthony Hopkins. Any character he plays is special and unique. But the genuine sense of suffering he brings to the character is special.
• (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.) – At the end of the movie, you see the scene which replays several times of his daughter suffering towards the end of her illness. She was in agonizing pain. And then you see that Dr. Clancy administered a fatal dose of medication to euthanize her, to end her suffering. And then you understand the real reason he withdrew so far from the world, and why the serial killer sought him out to continue his life’s “work.”

INT. DAYTIME – ELLIS HOUSE

MRS. ELLIS: Did you catch him?

DR. CLANCY: No.

MRS. ELLIS: Then what are you doing here?

DR. CLANCY: There was another murder last night. We believe it’s the same man that killed your son. All of the other victims have suffered from an illness or a condition…

MRS. ELLIS: Robert was 12. He wasn’t sick.

DR. CLANCY: We’d like to verify that

MRS. ELLIS: How are you going to do that?

DR. CLANCY: We conduct an autopsy.

MRS. ELLIS: You dig his body up, pry him open and search around inside him?

DR. CLANCY: Yes, we do.

MRS. ELLIS: Who are you?

DR. CLANCY: I’m a doctor.

MRS. ELLIS: He wasn’t sick. And even if he was, he did not need a man like you. It’s fate. It’s just that some people do not have the courage to accept the wisdom of the Lord.

DR. CLANCY: I agree with you, Mrs. Ellis, absolutely. I know the limitations of medicine. I’ve diagnosed many patients with death growing inside them. Like my own daughter. She had Leukemia. For 2 years, I went to the hospital every day and watched her suffer. Every procedure, every test, all totally useless, of course. And one day she died. And that was that. In the end, it was a blessing. I do understand something about fate, Mrs. Ellis. And, uh, I certainly wouldn’t use medicine to alter God’s plan. I… just want to know why your son was killed. And medicine can help me discover that. And then, perhaps, it can help me catch the man…who killed your little boy.

——————————

Lead Actor #2: Colin Farrell

• Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role? – He plays Charles Ambrose, a serial killer who murders people who his psychic visions show are fatally ill, set up to be a happy and painless death, before the characters realize they are dying.
• What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie? – We don’t see the villain until the midpoint, but his reasons for killing are complicated and it is difficult to hate him … even when he sets up Agent Merriweather to be killed by another murderer.
• What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie? – He makes himself known to Dr. Clancy, he wants his fellow psychic to understand him.
• How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor? – Dr. Clancy sees visions of Ambrose before he actually meets him, but they are blurry at first. What’s more interesting is how the two FBI agents and Dr. Clancy piece together the pattern that these are “mercy killings” of people who don’t yet realize they are fatally ill.
• What is this character’s emotional range? – Ambrose is haunted by his visions, but views them as a “mercy.” Colin Farrell plays a psychopath very well.
• What subtext can the actor play? – Despite being a serial killer, there’s a certain twisted mercy to how Ambrose chooses his victims. At one point he sets up clues that lead the police to ANOTHER killer, and Agent Merriweather is shot and killed during the bust. We then learn, as Merriweather is in the hospital, dying, that he’s actually relieved it went down that way. He was just diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, with maybe 6 months left to live, and he got to go out with a bang and a larger pension to his wife and son. We then learn, in dialogue between the serial killer and Dr. Clancy, that Ambrose foresaw and then set up that bust as a “mercy killing” of the detective. The subtext which is hidden all along and you don’t “get” until the very last scene is that Ambrose KNOWS that Dr. Clancy is more like him than Clancy will ever admit.
• What’s the most interesting relationships this character has? – Ambrose wants Dr. Clancy to accept him as “we are both alike.” On the one hand, he is Dr. Clancy’s prospective mentor. On the other hand, Dr. Clancy is far more stable and in control than the psychotic Ambrose.
• How is this character’s unique voice presented? – When he describes his rationale for selecting his victims and killing them, it’s almost possible to get sucked into his delusion.
• What makes this character special and unique? – A good villain makes a movie.
• (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)

AMBROSE: John, each life I take, it’s a life that’s saved from enormous pain. I see what lies ahead for them. The suffering and the sickness. I see them writhing in agony. I hear them screaming, begging for release. They beg for it, John. And I grant them their wish. Only better. I get there before the wish is even made. I get there before the pain even starts. As for their loved ones, there’s always an autopsy when the existing condition is found. That’s when I see them go from shock to relief. I hear them say things like, “Thank God it was so sudden.” “At least she felt no pain.” In the end, they’re grateful for what I’ve done. That’s why I helped your friend Joe. He had 73 days of horrific pain ahead. Do you know what benefits his family would’ve gotten? Dying of natural causes, 14 years into his career? None. Now his wife gets a pension, putting their son through college. Stanford, actually. You think Joe wouldn’t have taken that deal?

[Claudia OBrien]

Subject Line: Claudia’s Actor attractors for Lady Bird.

My vision: To become the best screenwriter I can be, and to find success in the industry.

What I learned from doing this assignment is: Developing a lead character that will appeal to an A-list actor takes a lot of work!

Movie Title: Lady Bird

Lead Character Name: Lady Bird (Christine)

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role?

She’s a teenager so this role gives an opportunity for an up-and-coming actor to highlight a depth and breadth of acting that could transform into an A-list career. Lady Bird is quirky

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie?

Lady Bird is full of contradictions and there’s a lot going on beneath the surface. Her best friend Jules is a gem – but what you see in the surface is what you get. Lady Bird has all kinds of things going on beneath the surface, from her fraught relationship with her mother to her hidden desire to be a “cool kid” to her hope of falling in love.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie?

The ending really brings it all together. Lady Bird has achieved her dream – she’s in NYC at college. She’s at a college party and a guy is interested in her. But he’s a bore and she’s homesick. She ends up wandering the city and goes to church (after refusing communion and making clear that she isn’t into religion at the beginning of the movie). Then she calls her mother and tells her about the things she loves in Sacramento – and that she loves her mom.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor?

The opening scene has her and her mother in a car returning from a college visit – but one that doesn’t interest Lady Bird at all. They are listening to the Grapes of Wrath on tape and both are teared up by the ending. But that moment of connection between Lady Bird and her mother quickly devolves into bickering and then a full-on fight – culminating with Lady Bird flinging herself out of the moving car.

5. What is this character’s emotional range?

Lady Bird has an enormous emotional range in this movie. Her character ranges from joy (falling in love, getting into NYU, losing her virginity) to despair (discovering her boyfriend is gay, her mother refusing to speak to her because she applied to NYU, discovering her new boyfriend lied about being a virgin) – and all kinds of emotions in between.

6. What subtext can the actor play?

Lady Bird desperately wants her mother to like her – while at the same time (being a teenager), she pretends not to care.

7. What’s the most interesting relationship this character has?

The relationship with her mother, which ultimately is what the movie is about. The movie starts with her being so angry at her mother that she flings herself out of the car – and ends with her leaving a voicemail telling her mother how much she loves and appreciates her.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented?

Lady Bird’s voice is shown visually as well as through her words and actions. From the coloring and painting on the walls of her room to her hot pink cast with her commentary written on it, from stealing the math teacher’s grades and lying about it to going to prom with her best friend to her relationship with the nun. No one else in the movie talks like her or acts like her.

9. What makes this character special and unique?

She’s not a beauty, she’s not one of the popular kids. She’s complex, like a real person is – sometimes kind and sometimes not, flipping from one emotion to the next, wanting things that won’t make her happy (hanging with the popular kids, dating a jerk) and generally trying to find herself. She’s real.

10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)

The scene where her mother takes Lady Bird to buy a prom dress. Lady Bird starts out excited – but the scene quickly devolves as her mother comments on her eating when Lady Bird complains about a dress being too tight. They start to bicker – about clothes, money, anything. Lady Bird goes from being excited to irritated to plaintive, when she asks her mother if she likes her. And her mother doesn’t really respond – she says she loves Lady Bird, but she won’t say that she likes her. There is a huge range of emotion displayed in this scene.

[Maureen Tilyou]

<font color=”#0000ff”><font face=”Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif”><font size=”2″>MY
VISION: By nurturing fun and curiosity in the writing process,
I will do my very best to create a successful writing career full of
love, full of awe, full of productivity, and full of joy!</font></font></font>

<font color=”#222222″><font face=”Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif”><font size=”3″><font color=”#000000″>What
I learned from this lesson is no matter how many times you see a great film, there is always something more to learn, and it is possible to be totally caught up in it’s grip as if you’d never seen it before. Pretty amazing!</font></font></font></font>

Movie Title: The Fugitive
Lead Character Name: Dr. Richard Kimble

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role?

He’s going through hell continually, from his wife’s murder to his conviction and death sentence, to the bus crash and train wreak, etc, etc –and he still fights on. This is the role of a lifetime!

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie?

His relentless pursuit of the truth behind is wife’s death.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie?

– Faced with an oncoming train, choosing to save a man’s life before jumping out of the bus

– Jumping off a ridiculously high viaduct.

– All instances of his going back to Chicago places to investigate, putting himself in danger.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor?

Introduced in a riveting series of scenes that lay out his wife’s murder, his trying to save her, his arrest, conviction and death sentence, The way it’s filmed, it feels like you are in his nightmare.

5. What is this character’s emotional range?

The Full Range. From grief at his wife’s death, to anger when they accuse him, to fear when they convict him, and then more intense fear on the bus watcing the other convicts getting up to something, then and oncoming train and other dangerous situations, to determination, desperation, disappointment with is best friend (and traitor) etc, etc, etc All nuanced and compelling.

6. What subtext can the actor play?

Subtext throughout. Meeting Dr Lentz in the beginning, being put in leg irons, on the bus with the other convicts, then constantly pretending to be someone else, his inner life is fully on display for audience pleasure.

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?

Definitely with Gerard.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented?

He doesn’t talk a lot, but his words are precise, meaningful. He engages with the world as it comes to him-and with just what is needed- no more- in both actions and words.

9. What makes this character special and unique?

He is incredibly moral- and as relentless in his need to prove his innocence and find the truth as Gerard is in trying to catch him.

10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)

The scene with Gerard where he tells him he didn’t kill his wife, Gerard says he doesn’t care, and Kimble jumps.

Movie Title: The Fugitive

Lead Character Name: Lt. Gerard

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role?

Gerard is smart, funny, relentless, ruthlessly moral and scorchingly sarcastic. He has interesting relationships with his crew including snappy repartee that conjures up the timing of a 1930’s comedy. Did I mention that he’s incredibly charismatic? And keeps our hero on massively full alert with his never-let-up pursuit.

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie?

All of the above, especially his wit and relentless pursuit of Kimble.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie?

-He tells a man pointing a loaded gun at him that he doesn’t care if he’s guilty of killing his wife or not, he’s still taking him in.

-He shoots a perp who is holding a weapon to his team member’s throat

– He starts following Kimble’s search for the one armed man in order to catch Kimble, and he ends up investigating to find the truth for himself.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor?

At the site of the train wreak, making te poor cops look stupid, sarcasm on full display, taking over the investigation, and laying out in vivid detail exactly how f—d Kimble is with his brilliant ‘every outhouse, doghouse, etc ” speech.

5. What is this character’s emotional range?

Gerard is an interesting character in that he is like a strategic machine that shuts out anything that gets in the way of his goal- which is catching his ‘prey.’ Within that mercurial emotions fly through this guy.-most in service of his almost lusty enjoyment of the chase, but also in his slow build to grasping Kimble’s innocence- which is somewhat of a challenge to his worldview.

6. What subtext can the actor play?

The wheels are always turning in Gerard’s head. The audience can just about watch them spin. I think a lot of that is subtext about what Kimble is up to and why. He starts to admire Kimble as an equal – something he’s not used to.

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?

With Richard Kimble

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented?

He takes over and commands the stage- always- through the force of his personality. His speech is right in line with that. It’s precise, exacting, sarcastic, and gets the job done- like the man himself.

9. What makes this character special and unique?

I’m tempted to say Tommy Lee Jones, and that’s true, but it goes both ways. Tommy Lee makes himself one with the character traits mentioned above, plus more, creates one unforgettable character on film, and wins himself an Oscar.

10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)

Gerard’s intro– The investigating the train wreak scene

[Mahee Sanapareddy]

Mahee’s Actor attractors for The Terminator

My Vision – I want to be a great writer who is well-respected and recognized in the industry, with successful books published and blockbuster movies produced. I want to create a successful movie franchise that audiences all over the world will love, rave about, look forward to, and continue to enjoy many years from now.

What I learned from doing this assignment is to discover what criteria will attract actors to sign onto my movies.

Movie Title: The Terminator

Lead Character Name: Sarah Connor

1. Why would an actor WANT to be known for this role?

She is the mother of the future. Her son is the only hope for mankind against the machines in a nuclear holocaust initiated by a powerful defense network of computers called Skynet in the not too distant future.

2. What makes this character one of the most interesting characters in the movie?

She transforms from an insignificant waitress who can’t even get her order right to the mother who needs to train her son to organize a rebellion and lead the humans in the war against the machines many years into the future.

3. What are the most interesting actions the Lead takes in the movie?

Sarah has a pretty boring life. She’s an ordinary waitress at a local diner. Her rich boyfriend cancels their date at the last minute. She meets Kyle Reese, a man from the future. He has come to protect her from the Terminator – A ruthless killing cyborg sent from the future to kill her. She falls in love with Kyle. They are chased all over the city by the Terminator. The cops can’t protect her. Kyle can’t protect her. No one can protect her other than herself. She kills the Terminator in the end.

4. How is this character introduced that could sell it to an actor?

Two visitors from the future arrive in Los Angeles in pursuit of one woman – Sarah Connor. One, a human, is determined to protect her while the other, a machine, is determined to kill her.

5. What is this character’s emotional range?

From naïve, fearful and confused to determined, fearless and organized.

6. What subtext can the actor play?

Sarah Connor loves to hear that her life is more important that she had ever imagined. But she keeps questioning herself if she’s really the mother of the future hope for mankind.

7. What’s the most interesting relationships this character has?

Her relationship with Kyle Reese. When he mentions to her that John Connor, her future son, the leader of the rebellion, sent him back in time to protect her from the Terminator, she feels elated but doesn’t want to know who the father is because she’s secretly in love with Kyle and desires it is him. When he admits that the real reason he came back was because he loved her, her desire is fulfilled.

8. How is this character’s unique voice presented?

Her will power, her mental toughness, and her ability to duel her way through impossible situations clearly shows that she is prepared to fight, prepared to kill, and prepared to sacrifice her life in order to protect her son.

9. What makes this character special and unique?

Again going back to the line when she tells Kyle that she doesn’t feel like the mother of the future, she had always felt insignificant in the world and unsure of her abilities. But when she learns that no one can protect her from the Terminator except herself, she embraces her importance in the future of mankind and puts her survival instincts on full display.

10. (Fill in a scene that shows the character fulfilling much of the Actor Attractor model.)

The Terminator rides his motorcycle chasing Sarah and Kyle along the freeway, Kyle gets shot and slumps into the passenger seat, unable to move. Sarah toughens up and crashes the Terminator’s motorcycle. But the Terminator rises, gets onto a fuel truck, and continues to chase her down. Sarah helps Kyle onto his feet as they run. Kyle blows up the truck in a burning inferno using a pipe bomb. But the Terminator rises from the fire again and keeps coming after Sarah. Sarah continues to support and drag Kyle along as they try to escape. Kyle uses the last pipe bomb and blows up the Terminator into pieces, giving up his own life in the process. But the Terminator is relentless. It continues to crawl after Sarah, determined to kill her. Sarah then decides to take matters in her own hands and kills the Terminator by trapping him and crushing him in a hydraulic press.

[Natasha Paris]

I am a uniquely amazing, inspiring, prolific, and successful writer/director whose name alone sales. I have a huge following because I help change the world for the better.

2. Watch a movie that matches this criteria to see what would attract the actors to be in that movie.

Criteria:

A. In your genre.

B. Has big actors.

C. Is a well known movie (but not a Marvel or DC movie).

3. For each lead character, list out the 9 Actor Attractors as I did with 3:10 TO YUMA. Use the Actor Attractor questions below.

Searching

John Cho

1. Actor notoriety – Wants to be known for this part.

It’s more of a drama role, while we know him more for comedy. This opens doors.

2. Character that is most interesting in movie.

He is the lead character, a father who’s trying to find his missing daughter, only through his computer/phone/social media.

3. Takes most interesting actions in the story.

He’s pretty much the only one acting. As we see him “live”, searching to find his daughter in many different ways, learning about her on social media and such. It’s almost a solo performance.

4. Outstanding Introduction.

The character creates an account for his daughter, and the entire family appear on screen and smile for it.

5. Range of emotions the actor can play.

There’s definitely a range of emotion from lost, sadness, confusion, anger, fear, etc.

6. Subtext the actor can play.

Trying to stay strong while panicking.

7. Relationships that are interesting.

How much does a father know his teenage daughter?

8. Unique Voice expressed through dialogue and action.

All seen through his computer.

9. Something truly special about this character.

Resourceful, determined, truth seeker