CHARACTER 
BIOGRAPHIES 








“We are living in a world of 
make believe...lf you have a 
personal biography for your 
character, that's one of the 
things that makes people 
interested in you when you 
show up on-screen, 'cause 
that character came from 
somewhere.” 

—Samuel L. Jackson 


MASTERCLASS 





CHAPTER REVIEW 





Sam demonstrates how character biographies are necessary 
when you're acting in a complex or high-stakes scene, or playing 
a Character that is far away from yourself. In order to achieve a 
strong emotional impact in your performance, you have to un- 
derstand what your character has been through. Sam emphasizes 
that you have the freedom to equip your character with whatever 
backstory you want, as long as it fits within the given circum- 
stances in the script. For details that aren't available, use your 
imagination! 


TAKE IT FURTHER 


Sam received an Academy Award nomination for his por- 
trayal of Jules in Pulp Fiction. Watch the film and find the two 
instances where Sam delivers the Ezekiel 25:17 monologue. 
Compare how he delivers the speech in the apartment scene 
near the beginning of the film and in the diner scene at the 
end. Note the differences in tone, movement, and energy. How 
do Sam’s choices convey Jules’s growth as a character? Do you 
think his goal has changed for each one? 


ASSIGNMENT 


It’s time to create a character biography for your chosen 
character. Using the goals you mapped out in Chapter 2, start 
creating a narrative about your character’s childhood, fami- 
ly, friends, career, hopes, dreams, and anything else you feel 
necessary to explain who they are in the present moment of 
the script. Continue to use the script for clues about what type 
of backstory your character deserves. 


SAMUEL L. JACKSON 17 


7. 
NOTES 


















































MASTERCLASS SAMUEL L. JACKSON 18