I am simply not interested, at this point, in creating narrative scenes between characters.
Special effects are characters. Special effects are essential elements. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there.
I guess, what I'm saying is that when I've been this surprised by my own characters and world, all bets are off.
When sex is necessary for the plot of a book, or a character development, then I don't shy away from it. Why should I?
And it's sort of an old-fashioned ER, in that it's very much about the medicine, and how these people cope. There's very little about the personal lives of the characters.
I start with a character and a situation, but I don't know what's going to happen until I write it. Sometimes things happen that surprise me.
I, Lesley, I like looking nice. I like doing my hair and wearing makeup and wearing nice clothes. But I don't care what my characters look like.
A GOOD man values his INTEGRITY and CHARACTER. NEVER deal with one that has no SELF RESPECT!
It's just so much more exciting to have no limits and to be able to take your character as far as you want or need to get where you want to go.
You can really help support a character if you understand the setting. So for that reason I generally write about Philadelphia.
The arrogance of the human mind is too fragile, as well as the patience of the human character. It is because of that, they fail to see the power of mere observation and systematic analysis.
Always be original. Never duplicate what you've seen another actor do. Be true to the character that you've been given, and the rest will come easy.
The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?
As the caterpillar undergoes transformation and emerges as a butterfly; likewise, character undergoes transformation through experiences, aspirations and beliefs. How will you emerge?
I think it's critical in any character you play that it really is about reacting instead of acting. You can always tell when a person is acting.
If you write a bunch of different characters with a bunch of different opinions, you end up with these long scenes of everyone standing around talking.
I don't have any dream role. I give my 100% to every character I play, and when the film clicks, it automatically becomes a dream role.
There is always one person on the set who has a lot of anxiety, an actor who is really intense and has to stay in character and holds himself away from the rest of us.
Somebody like Mailer brings to that role everything that he stands for. The types of characters that I gravitate towards, the types of icons, tend to have a heavy physicality in that way.
Remember, if you don't feel passionate about the characters and subject of your story, your readers won't either.
To disappear your complete self into a character is quite difficult. I've tried it 85 times, and I've succeeded two or three times.
