The Secret to Bringing Any Character to Life

Whenever I receive a script—whether it’s for an audition or something I’m creating myself—the first question I ask is simple: Who is this person?

Not just what they say, not just what they’re selling… but who they are.

Every character I step into comes from somewhere real. There’s always a part of me in them. Sometimes it’s obvious like the excitement of someone who just got a new car or discovered a great restaurant. And sometimes it’s less comfortable… like the darker, more complicated parts of being human. Even the villain. Even the one who wants to take over the world.

Because the truth is there’s a piece of all of that in all of us. That’s what makes this work so freeing.

I get to explore those parts. I get to play with them, understand them, and bring them to life. The quirks, the motivations, the emotions… all of it. And the deeper I go, the more I realize that every character is rooted in something I already know my own thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

That’s how I connect.

Even with characters that are dark or traditionally labeled as “evil,” I’m not judging them. I’m asking why. Why do they believe what they believe? Why do they want what they want? Nobody wakes up and says, “I just want to be evil.” There’s always a reason.

Maybe they think the world is broken. Maybe they believe what they’re doing will fix it. Maybe they’re chasing something that once brought them pain or joy. And that same truth applies to the simplest scripts. It’s not just, “This is a good cookie.” It’s, “This cookie brought me joy… and I want you to feel that too.” That’s connection. That’s humanity. That’s what we’re really communicating.

If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: You have to find something about the character that you genuinely love. Not tolerate. Not fake. Love. Because without that, the performance stays on the surface.

But when you find that one honest, human connection something shifts. The character stops being something you’re trying to perform… and starts becoming someone you understand, and when that happens, the audience feels it.

— Todd (Coach at the Voice Acting Institute)