Sharing a fantastic video essay that spotlights the unsung heroes of film & TV: character actors.
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L57Hy1yk9g
The piece digs into why small-but-sharp performances can make a story feel bigger and more alive.
A few takeaways I loved:
• Character actors = world builders: Think John Carroll Lynch’s chilling ambiguity in Zodiac or his warm, grounding turn in Fargo. Tiny roles, huge impact.
• Memorability under constraints: With limited screen time, actors like David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight) or Martha Kelly (Marriage Story) craft instantly legible, specific characters.
• It’s not “lesser” acting: Many legends toggled between character parts and leads: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, proving “supporting” can be a launchpad and an art form on its own.
• Writers/directors matter: Great minor roles come from scripts and sets that make room for them; smart casting plus a few precise beats can turn a day-player into the moment you remember.
For the actors here:
• How do you approach small roles so they read instantly without going broad? Any audition tips for making a “one-scene wonder” pop?
• Who’s your favorite character actor and what do you steal (ahem, learn) from their work?
• If you’ve moved between leads and supporting, how does your process shift?
For the filmmakers/casters:
• What’s one thing you do in writing or blocking to give character roles oxygen?
• Have you ever re-shaped a scene after a character actor brought unexpected texture?
Drop your fav examples, techniques, and war stories below, let’s celebrate the craft that makes our ensembles sing.
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"Great minor roles come from scripts." That's right. I like to develop minor characters like they're major characters, Ashley Renee Smith. I give a minor character a personality, strength(s), goal, and more. A lot of it doesn't make it into the script, but those things help me write the character and script.
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Great topic Ashley Renee Smith I don't look at minor roles as minor. When I studied theater in college, our instructor always said, "These are the most important moments in these characters' lives. That's why it's a script. Nothing happens without purpose, even a "minor" character has a reason for existing." That has stuck with me. A character may only have one or two lines, but they are an important part of the story or the writer wouldn't have put them in. I think about that when I watch tv, pay attention to the actor who has only one or two lines, that character serves a purpose., they drive the plot forward.
A supporting role is by no means lesser acting. A supporting role is very much an integral part of the story, supports the leads in moving the plot forward. That's what Maurice was saying, there are no minor characters. So if you only have one line, give that line your all. It matters. Those actors in this video embraced it. "There are no small roles, only small minded actors." That is what I tell myself when auditioning.
My favorite character actor is Anna Farris. The Scary Movie franchise is cheesy and I would feel really silly doing some of the stuff, but she doesn't hold back. She willingly makes a fool of herself on camera.