The importance of side characters

Side characters are incredibly important to your writing. They can help reinforce the main themes, they can propel the plot or they can even be the audience’s voice in a given situation. I enjoyed watching the 2012 film Dredd recently but was initially put off by the introduction of a side character: Cassandra Anderson. This wasn’t because she was bad at all; it was because my initial response was an incredibly naïve one. My response was:

“Why do we need a side character if the film is about Dredd?!”

Ignorant beyond belief, I know, but, you see, as I’m sure we all have, I’ve been plagued with having to watch so many stories with superfluous side characters that made you roll your eyes because they are just taking up screen-time; used as a boring vehicle to deliver exposition. However, much to my pleasant surprise, Anderson was a great example of how to write side characters and, without spoiling anything, I’m going to give three main reasons why.

1. At the most basic level, a side character should be able to be a character that the main character can bounce off that lets the audience know more about the main character. In this example, it would be Dredd. Due to the fact that the film is called Dredd, it feels like Anderson, by definition, is a side character but really, she’s co-lead. She develops Dredd while giving contrasting opinions about things which leads me onto point two.
2. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, Anderson is the audience’s eyes and ears. Dredd is a seasoned vet so, unless an audience member is a seasoned police officer who works in Mega-City One, he can be difficult to connect with. Anderson is a rookie – she’s literally experiencing her first day on the job and so she’s nervous, edgy, dealing with the situation as best as she can in the same way many of us would. Dredd is the initial selling point but, by seeing ourselves in Anderson, we become emotionally hooked.
3. It can’t all just be about highlighting the main character or being identifiable. The character needs to also bring their own perspective, their own set of skills, particularly in a fast-paced action film like this. If she’s caught floundering too much, the audience could grow impatient with her. Alas, Dredd gives Anderson a great power – the ability to read minds. This is used particularly well in the scenes between Anderson and Kay (played by Wood Harris). Their interplay is a highlight for me and, while it is integral to the plot, it is, importantly, independent of Dredd. You need to show that the side character can walk on their own two feet and a good way to do that is to show their skills away from the main character.

Anderson who is played very well by Olivia Thirlby.

While Dredd is far from a perfect film, the dialogue and characters really help sell the world and the story. I’ve long admired Alex Garland as a writer and this script only further shows why. In a brief 95-minute movie, the audience are shown a dystopian world with interesting characters and a simple, effective premise. Even if you’re dabbling in genre pieces, remember: character interaction is so important in selling your writing. By all means, develop the world but don’t be afraid to re-examine characters and give them more to do if it gives the audience a greater connection with them. There are other examples of great side characters out there and far more points than the three above but I genuinely think, using those three as a starting point, you can build an effective side character with a sense of independence and flair that will only help your story.