How Talented Character Actors Create Scene Believability Despite the Constraints of a Small Role

Video essayistThomas Flight examines the integral role that character actors play in fleshing out the scene to make the movie's plot more realistic. He looks at the immense talent these actors possess, how they make themselves known despite smaller constraints, and how minor roles lend to the believability of scenes.

Have you ever watched a movie that felt weirdly small or artificial for some hard to pinpoint reason? Sometimes this is because a lack of minor roles. Instead of moving through a world that feels populated with actual people. the characters feel strangely isolated as if they exist in a world of NPCs. So creating a good character acting role takes a writer and a director who creates space for them to exist and then beyond that know how to use these minor characters to their fullest potential.

Flight also points out character actors who have transitioned to lead roles, such as actressJennifer Coolidge,who appeared in the first and second seasons of The White Lotus.

A great example of this is how longtime character actor Jennifer Coolidge received almost universal acclaim for her leading role in The White Lotus'. All it took was for Mike White to see the potential. I love when this happens because it shows that the way character actors are often typecast and boxed into smaller roles and the conventional limitations on who has the right look or type for a lead role are ultimately fairly arbitrary boundaries created by those who are unwilling to think a little bit outside the box.

Directors and Character Actors

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