by Renée J. Lukas

Screenwriting is the art of telling a story in the most economical way. That’s why it’s so difficult, because many of us writers want to explain the heck out of everything. When you try to master the craft of screenwriting, you have to cut the fat and get to the heart of what you want the reader, and eventually the audience, to understand. You could go from “well-dressed, middle-aged woman who’s the life of the party, slightly self-centered, impeccable taste, blah blah. . .” TO “an aging debutante who’s not happy unless she’s the focus of attention.” Period. It’s what we most need to know and nothing else.

Below I’ve listed some of the best character-revealing moments on film. With either a line of dialogue, an action, or something else, everything we need to know about a character—or their situation— is revealed with very little. And that’s the beauty of each of these.

“Annie MacLean” – The Horse Whisperer

 When the doctor tells her that part of her daughter’s leg had to be removed, she asks, “Which leg?” It’s a brilliant line, because Annie is someone who needs to control her surroundings, to fix what needs fixing, to keep her emotions in check. And it’s all there in that one line.

“Miranda Priestly” – The Devil Wears Prada

All you need to know about this woman is revealed in the way the whole office wets their pants before her arrival. Before she’s even seen on screen, we know who she is. Just from that.

“Annie” – Bridesmaids

They could have had: “Annie cries and overeats ice cream.” Instead, she’s sprawled on the couch, crying “Wilson!” while watching Tom Hanks unsuccessfully try to retrieve his volleyball in Castaway. That represents exactly where Annie is in her life—defeated—and the long, uphill struggle she has ahead of her.

“Charles” – Four Weddings & a Funeral

Here another character tells us about him: “There’s a sort of greatness to your lateness.” Of course, before that we see Charles scrambling to make it to a church, which is the perfect introduction to a character who is indecisive and without conviction.

“Arthur” – Arthur

When Arthur, the drunk rich playboy, takes Linda on their first date, he tells her that everyone has always taken care of him. In this key scene, he’s beginning to grow up when he says, “If you got sick, I’d take care of you.” To which she answers, “Then I’ll get sick.”

“Katniss” – The Hunger Games  

“I volunteer as tribute!” This iconic line shows us the depth of Katniss’s bravery. She is willing to sacrifice her own life to save her sister.

“Warren Schmidt” – About Schmidt

 Warren Schmidt, on his last day of work before retirement, sits at an empty desk and waits for the clock to strike five o’clock on the nose before he moves a muscle. This man has always played by the rules and never taken a step outside the lines.

“Therese Belivet” – Carol

The wide-eyed Therese is obviously fixated on Carol, but she says very little and can be difficult to read. When she agrees to visit the house of a woman she’s just met in a department store, Carol, the title character, says it best: “What a strange girl you are, dropped out of space.” A visual clue about Therese: she orders exactly the same thing as Carol, revealing how she doesn’t really know herself yet.

“Charlie” – Top Gun

Here’s a rare case when just the appearance of a character makes you want to cheer. Pete “Maverick” attends his first class at the prestigious Top Gun school and discovers that his astrophysics instructor, Charlie, is the woman he tried to hit on in a bar the night before. From the moment she turns around, it’s a delicious scene.

“Hannibal Lecter” – The Silence of the Lambs

What could be more revealing, and unsettling, than a man who commits a gruesome murder, but takes time out to appreciate classical music with blood smeared all over his face?

“Erica Barry” – Something’s Gotta Give

Here, it’s the way a character dresses that reveals who she is and what her transformation will likely be. Erica lives by the beach, but wears turtlenecks every day. Later on she insists, during a moment of passion, that Harry cut the turtleneck off her, freeing her from who she’s been.

“Melvin Udall” – As Good As It Gets

Throwing a little dog down a garbage chute is the act of a despicable character. And yet, in Melvin’s apartment, we watch him wash his hands once with a fresh bar of soap, then unwrap another, and another, revealing a personal struggle that the outside world has no idea about.

If you’re struggling with the introduction to a major character, read screenplays of your favorite films. Sometimes that will spark an idea that gets you thinking in a new way. Always try to go for something fresh that we haven’t seen before. And if we have seen it, try to put a new spin on it.

Good luck and happy writing!