Julianna Baggott Quotes

I cringe at backstory. Because it never quite explains or gets into some psychological thing that is never quite right and never quite the truth and who knows why someone is some way.

Characters make their own plot. The dimensions of the characters determine the action of the novel.

I try to give both my heroes and villains an emotional dimensionality which provides the motivation for their actions.

I enjoy pushing my characters to the limit. No matter how far out there I go, I look for things that make the characters human.

If you know your characters well enough, you aren't trying to grasp for storylines. You're really thinking about their flaws and their passions and what they're chasing.

I think, when I write, one of the things that I'm really attempting to do is I'm attempting to humanize my characters.

When I watch a movie, someone's beauty isn't what engages me: it's what's going on internally. And I imagine it's what the audience thinks, too.

I'm such a dork, but I really think there are derivatives to be found between story arcs and character motivations. And the way you evaluate functions is a really interesting way to look at stories and the way you act. I really believe it.

I think conflicted characters are always more interesting.

For 'Drive,' we needed the songs to dictate emotions and really bring you into the mind of The Driver; he's a unique and complicated guy, so the music itself had to be unique and complicated.

You don't want to have a character say what's bothering him; you want to define characters by action.

We always try to go back to character: What do they want? What are they doing? What's in motion that they're dealing with? When things get particularly heavy, we will take a step back and look at who has some room to have some things lighter, funnier, or sweeter happen.

I think all interesting characters have some kind of a complex.

When you get to play a character that's in love, it's cool. Once you have love as a motivator in a story, your character is free to do anything.

For me, playing a really bad character is about figuring out what brought the person to where we need him.

The character, as written on the page, is just a blueprint for a human being.

The characters have their own lives and their own logic, and you have to act accordingly.

With any character, I try to focus more on who the character is and how they got to be who they are.

Whatever character you play, remember they are always doing something they are not just talking.

When you're writing a story or an actor playing a role, you should never think of your characters as heroes or villains. You have to think of them as people first.

I always begin with a character or characters, and then try to think up as much action for them as possible.

To me sympathy for a character has little to do with how morally upstanding or wicked they are. All that really matters for me is how human and interesting they are. I happen to be drawn to characters who operate under intense internal pressure, which often comes from some deep psychological conflict.

In displaying the psychology of your characters, minute particulars are essential. God save us from vague generalizations! Be sure not to discuss your hero's state of mind. Make it clear from his actions. Nor is it necessary to portray many main characters. Let two people be the center of gravity in your story: he and she.

You have to have sympathy for the villain. Even the most disgusting ones, you have to find something to connect with. I try to put as much of myself in every single character that I play.

I won't even think about acting in a role where I didn't do a back story for a character.