Lesson 4

[Dawn Greenfield]

I had vertigo, then the SWU website was down, so this is late.

Dawn Greenfield’s Character Interviews Lesson 4

What I learned doing this assignment is

Protagonist Q & A

1. Tell me about yourself.

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2. It’s none of your business.
3. Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?

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4. It’s obvious my creator thinks I’m the one for the job. I get things done.
5. You are up against . What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?

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6. That sister of mine wasn’t in her right mind when she left me in charge of her kid.
7. In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?

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8. Changes? Why should I change? The kid will have to make changes.
9. What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?

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10. If you think I’m going to give up cussing, whisky and cigars, you’ve got another thing coming to you.
11. What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?

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12. I’m fearless. Nothing holds me back. Ask Big Nose Sam.
13. What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist?

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14. That social worker doesn’t know what she’s up against.
15. What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?

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16. I’m an open book.
17. What do you think of ?

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18. ??
19. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.

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20. My sister got herself killed in a car crash. She stupidly thought I was the right person to raise her kid. Who knows who the father is. He was never in the picture. If I ever find out his name, he’s dust. Then there’s this angry social worker who thinks she backing me into a corner. I was lucky to meet Jain Smyth, who showed me what I need for Elsie to get that lunatic social worker off my case.
21. What does it do for your life is you succeed here?

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22. You’ve got a typo there. If you need an editor, my creator can step up to help you.
23. There’s no IF. I WILL succeed. No one beats me down.
24. Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you.

Antagonist Q & A

1. Tell me about yourself.

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2. I’ve been a social worker for 30-years and have a standing record of placing children in the right homes. Sometimes I have to make tough decisions, as in the case of Jack Gunther and his niece Elsie.
3. Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?

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4. Strengths: assessing the situation of each case.
5. Weakness: taking shortcuts. I’m just getting tired of the job and want to retire.
6. Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail? Or for a relationship movie, why are you committed to making them change?

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7. Jack Gunther should not be in charge of a child. I fully intend to bring him before the judge and get that poor child out of his clutches.
8. What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?

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9. After this case, I will put in for retirement.
10. What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death?

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11. I know I’m right here. This mobster should not be in charge of that child and I will get her into a good home.
12. What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?

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13. I may have fudged on some paperwork for the court.
14. Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?

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15. Absolutely nothing.
16. What do you think of ?

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17. ??
18. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.

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19. I received this case. Kathryn Gunther died in a car accident. Her infant daughter was taken into custody after the father could not be located. We finally found Kathryn’s brother, but I was appalled to discover he was an active mobster with a record longer than a roll of toilet paper. My supervisor stressed that he must be given a chance. When he fails, we can place the child within a proper home.

[JOEL STERN]

Lesson 4: Character Interviews

Lead Character Profile of Protagonist Ray Hillmore.

Role in the story: OSS agent
reluctantly chosen to track down and kill a rogue OSS agent who was
sent on a mission to assassinate Hitler.

Age range: 30’s, on the outside, a
clean cut “All American” with German heritage.

Protagonist Internal Journey: Faked his
way to the top of his college class at Ivy League school. Out to
proves his worth.

External Journey: Not sure.

Motivation: Patriotism, strongly
anti-Hitler, revenge.

Wound: Father thought he was weak.

Mission/Agenda: To find and kill chosen
to track down and kill a rogue OSS agent who morphs into different
characters and is assassinating key Allied diplomats and agents.

Secret/What makes them special: The
rogue agent is morphing into other people and so far it’s impossible
to find him – a result of an OSS experiment gone horribly wrong.

Q: Tell me about yourself:

A: I was brought up in a strict
Catholic household. My parents Ernst and Hilda were German immigrants
who came to America at the turn of the century and settled in
Milwaukee. I have two brothers and had one sister. Ellie died during
the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918 when she was nine. My parents were
stoic when she passed and rarely spoke of her from then on.

My eldest brother Max is 37, three
years older than I. He works as a tailor in a shop that he owns. His
wife Johanna stays home with their three children Willi, Hans and
Hermann. My youngest brother is Emil, 29. He is a cripple and is in a
health facility in outer Milwaukee. Emil was born with a learning
deficit and father thought it would be best to have him cared for by
professionals.

Father owns a small drug store. He and
mother work six days a week. They are quite religious and attended
church every Sunday.

Q: Having to do with this journey, what
are your strengths and weaknesses?

A: I believe my greatest strength is my
dedication to my work and country. That is why I joined the OSS. I
have much to learn but I believe one day I will do something
extraordinary to help extinguish the evil that is now spreading
throughout Europe.

As far as my weakness, I often find it
hard to be “One of the boys”. Some of my work associates like to
drink and sometimes chase women in their spare time but I would
honestly rather listen to a fine opera. My deepest fear is that my
superiors will discover that some of my college records were
falsified. I am also not a great shot with a pistol.

Q: Why are you committed to making the
Protagonist fail?

A: The rogue agent “J” is man who
was sent on a mission to kill Adolf Hitler. For a reason not known at
the moment, “J” lost his way and is now killing key Allied
officials in high places. The biggest challenge for me is to find
him. He apparently takes the form of different individuals prior to
his killings – and I don’t mean he does so in a disguise – from
what we know he… actually becomes different individuals in the
flesh.

Q: What do you get out of winning this
fight/succeeding in your plan /taking down your competition?

A: America and the free world wins if I
succeed in eliminating “J”. It is quite apparent what will happen
if the maniac now ruling over Germany, Czechoslovakia and Austria
remains unhindered. On a personal level I will prove my worth to
family and work associates.

Q: What drives you toward your
mission/agenda even in the face of danger, ruin or death?

A: Much of that I just answered, but I
will say that I fear death as much as anyone else would. But that
feeling must be put aside to accomplish the mission I am about to
take part. On a more personal note, I need to prove my worth as I was
the last choice for this mission.

Q: What secrets must you keep to
succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear/insecurity?

A: My biggest secret is something that
will die with me – I have never been with a woman. My other fear is
that if – no when I find “J” I will carry out my mission
successfully and not choke.

Q: Compared to other people like you,
what makes you special?

A: Oddly, I believe my pristine
lifestyle sets me apart from my coworkers. And I think it will help
keep me focused on my mission.

Antagonist “J”

Q: Tell me about yourself.

A: You seem to have caught me on a good
day – my mind is clear. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case
recently. I am the top assassin in the OSS and have been so for the
past nine years. I’ve killed seventeen men and three women.

I will not reveal my true name but I am
known as “J”. I was adopted when I was five and grew up in a
small town in North Dakota.

Q: Having to do with this journey, what
are your strengths and weaknesses?

A: My strength? Achieving my mission. I
have never failed. I have no weaknesses.

Q: Why are you committed to making OSS
agent Ray Hillmore fail?

A: I’m not quite sure I understand your
question. We work together. We’re on the same team so to speak.

Q: What do you get from winning this
fight/succeeding in your plan/taking down your competition?

A: The only thing I get is the
satisfaction that I fulfilled my obligation. In this particular case
eliminating… you must bear with me… (foggy) I’ve not been well of
late.. yes my obligation to my nation’s best interests.

Q: What drives you toward your
mission/agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin or death?

A: I consider myself a great patriot.
The fear of death is not in my vocabulary.

Q: What secrets must you keep to
succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear/insecurity?

A: My greatest secret is the ability to
invade the body of another – whether it be man, woman or child –
in order to evade capture following the completion of my mission.

Q: Compared to other people like you,
what makes you special?

A: I believe the same answer will
suffice.

Q: What do you think of?

A: I think of defeating Nazi Germany
and it’s insane leader.

Q: Tell me you side of this whole
conflict/story

A: I was chosen by the OSS to
assassinate Adolf Hitler. An honor indeed. When I arrived in Berlin a
change came over me – like the turning on of a light – and it
made complete sense to me that it was Allied higher ups and not
Hitler who I had to eliminate. But the truly odd thing is that I
physically become someone else moments after I kill. It lasts an hour
or so and then I’m back to being me. You might say it’s the greatest
disguise in creation. Now… if you will excuse me.