Use Google images, find a picture which suits or hints at the characters face.
Then to form a character brief, a back story or to help bring someone to life, ask yourself questions like this;
- What is your name?
- How old are you?
- Where are you now?
- What was life like when you were 5
- And when you were 10 and 15, 20 …
- Are you married? in a relationship?
- Do you have children?
- What are their names?
- What makes you happy?
- What makes you sad, angry?
- What are you passionate about?
- Who influenced you most?
- What stories define your life?
- What stories do you tell?
- What secrets do you keep?
- Do you have an incomplete story?
- Who are your friends
- Where did you grow up?
- Where do you live now?
- Are you rich, poor, healthy, ill?
- What do you do?
- Do you have a job
- Have you had other jobs?
- Have you travelled? where?
- How do you stand, walk, gesture etc
- How do you speak, what accent do you have?
- What mannerisms do you have?
Ask the questions slowly, with time to ponder, collate and compile a picture of the person in your mind. You don’t need to literally answer every question, and in 5 or 10 minutes you can create a rich and deep background, allowing you to play the character with great depth and personality.
