I think the main thing is character, you know. You start with a character, everything is about a character. In its most simplistic form the nature of drama is that you take a fully rounded character and you discover who that character is by how he overcomes the obstacles you put in his way as a dramatist, I mean that’s it, you know, that’s kind of as simplistic as you can get. (…) If you got a character it can be about, I now understand this character from his very core, now what’s the worst thing that can happen to him? And that’s where the story comes from. What’s the best thing that can happen to him? How would he deal with this particular situation? And suddenly because your character is so strong you get the right obstacle to throw at him and suddenly you have a fantastic story. So that’s your first starting place, you know, you look at your characters, you don’t even think about the story, you don’t even think about what you’re going to do with them. You sit and you work and you work on characters to the point of obsession. To the point of obsession where you could take an application form for a job at Pizza Hut and fill it on the behalf of your character. I mean, you know him inside out, know the way he thinks, or she, just kind of know everything there is to know about them. And know everything there is about the world. (…) So start with the character, worry about the story later. Don’t create character to serve a story, create story to serve character.
Tony Jordan
in Shooting People podcast