Like the title says, does my main character have to be liked? He's not the bad guy, though, I just dont know if its ok to make him not too likeable.
Thanks, bwc
Thanks, bwc
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Does the main character have to be liked?
- Thread starter BrownwriterChi
- Start date
The main character can be unlikable so long as he's watchable. Don't annoy the audience.
They don't have to like the character. The trick is to get the audience to identify with, or at least be interested in, the character and his/her situation. You have to convince the audience that they should stick around to find out what happens.
Well said.
They don't have to like him, they just have to care what happens to him.
They don't have to like him, they just have to care what happens to him.
Mad Max wasn't exactly a nice guy. I mean, let's face it, he was a self-serving, opportunistic survivor and didn't mind killing at all.
But what made it OK was that we understood why. We watched as road scum killed his wife. The same goes for Charles Bronson in Death Wish or Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry. Their environment or circumstances made them who they are. But you have to at least touch on it if you want to win the audience over.
But what made it OK was that we understood why. We watched as road scum killed his wife. The same goes for Charles Bronson in Death Wish or Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry. Their environment or circumstances made them who they are. But you have to at least touch on it if you want to win the audience over.
The main character needs to be interesting. There have been several movies made about real and fictional serial killers--Dahmer, Son of Sam, Boston Stranger, Hannibal Lector, Freddie Krueger, etc. It would be hard to say that we identify with them or even necessarily like them. But their portrayal captures our interest.
It is kind of like light and dark; it requires both for either to stand out. If you have a 'bad' protagonist, there needs to be a 'good' antagonist. Dark protagonists usually follow the "Anti-Hero's journey".
I mentioned this in an earlier post. The typical hero's journey often has six stages--normalcy, challenge, defeat, mentoring, climax, conclusion. Usually dark, gothic storylines follow the "anti-hero's journey"--normalcy, obsession, crushed ambition, the sacrifice, the final sin, the birth (or re-birth). And I wish I could claim originality for the phrase, but I actually seen it in other sources (http://ezinearticles.com/?Anti-Heros...urney&id=79376 or http://www.writersstore.com/explorin...-heros-journey).
People who are simply angry and violent throughout usually garner little attention by most viewers. So they need to be made somewhat human in situations that the audience can associate with. Knowing what an evil person could do and then restrain himself in an irritating situation can draw an audience in.
So no, the protagonist doesn't need to be liked or necessarily good, but they need to be interesting and have episodes to which the audience can relate.
It is kind of like light and dark; it requires both for either to stand out. If you have a 'bad' protagonist, there needs to be a 'good' antagonist. Dark protagonists usually follow the "Anti-Hero's journey".
I mentioned this in an earlier post. The typical hero's journey often has six stages--normalcy, challenge, defeat, mentoring, climax, conclusion. Usually dark, gothic storylines follow the "anti-hero's journey"--normalcy, obsession, crushed ambition, the sacrifice, the final sin, the birth (or re-birth). And I wish I could claim originality for the phrase, but I actually seen it in other sources (http://ezinearticles.com/?Anti-Heros...urney&id=79376 or http://www.writersstore.com/explorin...-heros-journey).
People who are simply angry and violent throughout usually garner little attention by most viewers. So they need to be made somewhat human in situations that the audience can associate with. Knowing what an evil person could do and then restrain himself in an irritating situation can draw an audience in.
So no, the protagonist doesn't need to be liked or necessarily good, but they need to be interesting and have episodes to which the audience can relate.
I'm going against the grain here -- if you want your film to get somewhere on the film festival circuit you've got to give the audience some reason to care about the main character, flawed or not.
I think GuerillaAngel makes a good point - care about them, but not necessarily 'like'. The anti-hero (Mad Max, Dirty Harry, in fact a lot of Eastwood characters) can be all kinds of bad, but they accomplish good things, and we come to care about them because of what they do, not how they do it. I'm thinking that Richard Blaine and a lot of Bogart characters fit the role as well, but they are usually shown, in the course of the movie, to be injured romantics who would be the knight in shining armor if only...
I would say The main "hero" does not have to be like-able but the main "villian" has to be less like-able than the "hero"
(I just said something to this effect in another thread, but I will repeat it here)
The idea that a protagonist has to be "liked" or "sympathetic" is a complete misconception. What is important is that the protagonist in some way BE WORTHY OF THE AUDIENCE'S RESPECT. The hero can be a jerk, or a criminal, a killer, or a monumental ass, as long as his or her behavior follows a code that the audience can still respect. This means he can be a jerk, as long as he demonstrates other behavior that show he is worthy of our respect in other ways.
Of course, there is always the typical character arc. Someone goes from being unlikeable to likeable. Ebeneezer Scrooge is a beloved holiday character, yet he starts the story as the most unlikeable guy ever. They cannot grow to become likeable if they don't start off unlikable.
The idea that a protagonist has to be "liked" or "sympathetic" is a complete misconception. What is important is that the protagonist in some way BE WORTHY OF THE AUDIENCE'S RESPECT. The hero can be a jerk, or a criminal, a killer, or a monumental ass, as long as his or her behavior follows a code that the audience can still respect. This means he can be a jerk, as long as he demonstrates other behavior that show he is worthy of our respect in other ways.
Of course, there is always the typical character arc. Someone goes from being unlikeable to likeable. Ebeneezer Scrooge is a beloved holiday character, yet he starts the story as the most unlikeable guy ever. They cannot grow to become likeable if they don't start off unlikable.
Thanks for all the help. I was really worried because my main character is the good guy but the way he was coming out, he didnt seem to likeable. But I think I do got a good story that will keep a reader interested and I'll look for ways to make him a little more likable so the reader isnt just waiting for him to get hurt or killed. Thanks again to everyone for all the advice it was helpful.
(I also call out the stuff I like as well.)Downfall is another good example, with a particular scene now the subject of a viral video.
What about Scarface, or House M.D., or The Devil's Double? I guess they can be likeable, but the question should be how despicable can the character be, before he is unlikeable? But if it's the villain I say there are no limits.
Then, of course, there's characters like Freddy Kruger and Hannibal Lecter.