Bond.  James Bond.

Paul Haggis changed the course of 007 with his reboot of Casino Royale.  I had the great pleasure of working with him on Quantum of Solace as a consultant.  That film followed up our work together on In the Valley of Elah. 

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Power of Excitement characters believe life is a playground and a grand adventure. They often are an innovator, an explorer, a merry pranksters or the perennial “forever young” person in a story (who never grew up). In whatever role these characters play, they are good humored, endlessly optimistic and great fun.

They keep things lively, entertaining, interesting and off-balance for all the other characters. However, these characters are not interested in anything that requires a comforting hand, a long-term commitment, personal responsibility or a deep intimate attachment.

Power of Excitement characters are usually an agent of chaos. Their rakish push-the- envelop devil-may-care attitude inevitably shakes things up in a story. But their charm, ready wit and natural talent as an escape artist or improvisor often saves the day.

In a comedy these characters are the life of the party. They find ways to make things fun. They are risk-takers who seek out the next diversion, the new thrill or the most daring escapade. They love the variety and are willing to try anything.

In their Dark Side they are irresponsible users always looking for the next high. They often have a “junkie mentality” with a ready excuse for every mishap or whatever mayhem they cause along the way.

Character Examples

The title characters in the early James Bond movies and the Indiana Jones movies are examples of this protagonist as an adventurer or escape artist. The title character in the Austin Powers movies is the comedic version of the same devil-may-care swashbuckler.

Hugh Grant has played many of these charming unreliable boy/men in Four Weddings and a Funeral; About A Boy;Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill. Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a female example as is Maude inHarold and Maude.  See the Power of Excitement blog posts for more movie examples.

Earl Hickey in My Name is Earl; Dr. Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck; Dr. Doug Ross in ER; Bart Simpson in The Simpsonsand Edina (Eddie) Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous are great television examples.  See the Power of Excitement blog posts for more television examples.

Power of Excitement eBook

The Power of Excitement Character Type eBook explains how these characters are alike and how each character is made individually distinct. It will help you develop unique, original, evocative and authentic Power of Excitement characters that fully explore all the contradictions, reversals and surprises of a fully formed human being.

Discover the Power of Excitement character’s specific goals, unique emotional obstacles and very distinct responses and reactions to any opportunity, challenge or threat. Create this character’s Immediate Tactics, Long-term Orientation and Strategic Approach in a way that is recognizably “true” at every step of the story and during every moment of screen time. The audience will instantaneously recognize and relate to your character because your character is complex, three-dimensional and “feels real.”

This eBook is thorough analysis of the Power of Excitement Character Type in his or her many guises and roles as a protagonist or a member of a larger ensemble. It is packed with numerous examples from film, television and even real life! Examples from scores of scenes and dozens of quotes from film and television characters clearly illustrate this character’s motivations and psychological dynamics in a story.

Comprehensive Analysis

The Power of Excitement Character Type eBook illustrates exactly how to create and differentiate this character based on his or her:

(1.) World View (beliefs about how the world works) What are the essential core beliefs that motivate a Power of Excitement character’s ordinary actions?

(2.) Role or Function (position in the story or role in the ensemble) What do the other players look to a Power of Excitement character to do or provide in the story?

(3.) Values in Conflict (competing values that push the character to extremes) What opposing choices or goals establish the Power of Excitement character’s moral code? What is this character willing to fight, sacrifice or die for? And why?

(4.) Story Questions (emotional journey in the story) What personal issues, dilemmas and internal conflicts does a Power of Excitement character wrestle with over the course of the story? What does this character ask of him or her self? What is this character’s Leap of Faith in an emotionally satisfying story?

(5.) Story Paradox (emotional dilemma) What is the duality or the contradiction at the heart of a Power of Excitement character’s story struggle? How is the character’s internal conflict expressed in actions.

(6.) Life Lessons (how to complete the emotional journey) What must a Power of Excitement character learn over the course of the story to make a clear, satisfying personal transformation? What actions lead to this character’s emotional salvation?

(7.) Dark Side (this character as a predator or villain) What happens when a Power of Excitement character’s actions are driven entirely by fear? How might or how does the story end in tragedy?

(8.) Leadership Style (what defines and qualifies this character as a leader) How does a Power of Excitement character convince others to follow? How does this character act to take charge and command?

(9.) Film Examples (the Power of Excitement character as a protagonist)

(10.) Television Examples (the Power of Excitement character as central to an ensemble)

(11.) Real Life Examples (historical Power of Excitement figures on the world stage)

Screenwriters Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Paul Haggis move James Bond into the next phase of 007’s life in the excellent film, Casino Royale. It is a great example of how to transition a character.

The film effectively updates, renews and refreshed the James Bond character for new audiences. This kind of character evolution is also critical in any long-running television series. The dynamics of an ensemble can change over time, requiring adjustments in a character. Transitioning the character can help to take advantage of a newly cast actor’s strengths.

James Bond, like Indiana Jones and the more comedic Austin Powers, has always been written and played as a Power of Excitement character. Stories driven by the Power of Excitement are about getting out of traps and escaping from entangling situations.

Power of Excitement characters refuse to be confined, corralled or domesticated.  They flee adult responsibilities and commitments.  Peter Pan is a classic Power of Excitement character.  So are the protagonists played by Hugh Grant in his early movies.  These characters are incredibly charming but basically are kids.  Their mantra is, “I don’t want to grow up.  I don’t want to settle down.”

Mimi Avins, in The Los Angles Times, November 12, 2006 hits the nail on the head when she writes:  “There has always been something adolescent about 007. Sure, Britain’s best-known secret agent occasionally bears the fate of the free world on his deltoids. What he hasn’t shouldered, as he’s whizzed from one adventure to another over the last 44 years, is the ordinary responsibilities and commitments of a modern adult male. He’s an eternal lad, with a teenager’s contempt for authority and the ring-a-ding-ding Rat Packer’s attitude toward women that real men outgrow about the time they realize Maxim isn’t seriously meant to be a guide to life.”

These charming characters’ devil-may-care “I just want to play around and play the field” behavior can be captivating when a character is young.  But, after a certain age, it grows tiresome and verges on the pathetic.  That’s why, in his later movies, About a Boy and Brigitte Jones’ Diary for example, Hugh Grant plays this character type’s darker side and shows the emotional toll paid.  This is a successful character transition that avoids a devastating pitfall:  Power of Excitement characters and actors playing the boyish scamp or charming playboy have a definite expiration date.

The incredibly valuable Bond franchise was facing a difficult dilemma in remaking Casino Royale.  The perennially adolescent Power of Excitement Bond has been around for a long time and might not seem as appealing to the current, more cynical, movie-going audience.  An expiration date was looming.  These are darker and less innocent times than when the Bond movies debuted with such flash and fun in the psychedelic 1960’s.

So how does 007 evolve and grow up?  What kind of character is the new “more adult” Bond?  The producers’ and screenwriters’ answer is to transition the character from a Power of Excitement character to a Power of Reason character.  I believe they chose wisely.

Power of Reason stories are about alienation vs. connection.  They are about order vs. chaos. These characters are distant, sarcastic and can be perceived as cold.  It’s not that these characters don’t feel things— the trouble is, they feel things too deeply.  To avoid being overwhelmed by their emotions Power of Reason characters shut down and withdraw into themselves.

Power of Reason characters are experts in their field. They are stubborn, tough and opinionated and always believe they know best.  They are loners and prefer to work alone.  These characters buck authority because they believe they are best left to their own expert devices.  These characteristics lead Bond to clash with M over and over in Casino Royale.  This new Bond is more resolute and less cavalier than the previous Power of Excitement Bonds.  Earlier 007s had a devil-may-care attitude of rebellion against “adult” constraints and authority.

Casino Royale‘s flashback to Bond’s early days to show how he became 007 is a stroke of genius.  This is the perfect film to remake and renew the franchise.  We see the new Bond prove himself in the field in a bloody, gritty and determined way.  We watch him fall in love, see his wary cautious heart melt and watch how tragedy then hardens him again.  Tragedy makes this Bond more cynical and forces him to shut down all human feeling.  He becomes more distant, disconnected and a cold-blooded killing machine.

Daniel Craig is an inspired choice to play the new Bond.  Despite early carping and criticism by fans, his character type is ideally suited to this Power of Reason 007.  Writing about some of his early stage work a reviewer noted that Craig “contains his violence like an unexploded mine.”  There is a cool and controlled quality to Craig’s previous roles in Layer Cake and Munich.  We believe his expertise and ability to disengage and get the job done, despite the internal and/or moral cost.

Another excellent example of a Power of Reason story and character is Luc Besson’s wonderful film, The Professional, starring Jean Reno as Leon, a hit man.  Leon meets a little girl under crisis circumstances and learns to love— with tragic, but heroic, consequences.  Television Power of Reason examples include Dr. Gregory House on House and the comedic detective series Monk.  Even though all these  characters are individually very distinctive, they each share the same emotional and motivational core.

When transitioning a character the question is how to recast the same behavior with a compelling new motivation.  Consistency, authenticity and character type is key. Previous 007s killed as sport and barely rumpled their tuxedos.  They were flip, flash and fun:  the eternal “lad.”  This new adult Bond doesn’t avoid obligations and responsiblities.  He executes them, both literally and figuratively, with chilling and brutal expertise.  This is a Bond who is bloodied but unbowed.  He has scars on his soul.  And he doesn’t give a damn if his martini is shaken or stirred.  He has darker more adult  concerns.