You can’t play a character without truly knowing who they are. A great way to understand the person you are portraying is through character development. Character development begins with an open heart and empathy towards the character’s situation. Before I dive deep into understanding the character, I first read through the script a few times so that I understand the story. As I read the script, I ask myself important questions: Who? What? Where? Why? When? And How? Once I have an understanding of the story, I begin asking. Who is this person? Are they a daughter of a politician, or does the family have a history of drug abuse? In other words, what is their history? What does this person want? What is their motivation from moment to moment from scene to scene? And what is their overall objective? It’s essential to understand the overall objective. If there is no reason the character is motivated towards a particular goal, then you have no story. Where are the character’s location, as in the year/decade, city/state, and weather conditions? Why is this happening to this character what external events are taking place that is putting this character in this position? When did the story take place? Or when did the events happen before this story that shaped this character’s personality? Did he have childhood traumas, and what were they? In a nutshell, you are creating a backstory for your character. The script doesn’t provide all of the back histories of your character’s life. It’s your job to bring this person to live with your research and choices. Another great question that I like to ask myself is: How will the character go about completing their objective? Are the stakes high? What type of tactics will you use to achieve their goals? Tactics as in charm, manipulation, playing hardball, negotiating to complete their overall objective.