Scene Stealers

John Barrymore as Mercutio - jpgWhat do Shakespeare’s Mercutio and Austen’s Lady Catherine have in common?

To me, both are secondary characters who, while they’re onstage or on the page, tend to steal the show. They’re both so compelling that I find myself looking forward to their next lines. And, when their respective stories are being performed in the theater or on the screen, I’m riveted to their every movement.

 I’ve never liked Lady Catherine — she’s pompous, arrogant and rude — but I’ve always loved to watch her, and Pride & Prejudice just wouldn’t be the same without her in it, causing trouble for the would-be lovers at every turn. And, well, irritating almost everyone else.

Lady CAs for Mercutio, my high-school heart was crushed the first time I read “Romeo and Juliet” and discovered that he’d actually died! WHAT?! I was so ticked at Romeo for being such a clueless klutz that he got this great character killed. (I’m still not over it…) My English teacher tried to explain, however, that his death was necessary. That the smarty-pants Bard had to kill him off because Mercutio was so much more interesting than that moody, moony Romeo.

No kidding!

Leo as Romeo - jpgThe only time I liked that dopey Montague was when Leonardo DiCaprio played him so well in the modern Baz Luhrmann movie version. But I digress…

Of course, I love Elizabeth and Darcy and have never pined to see Lady Catherine for long without them but, I must admit, it’s particularly exciting to watch or read that delightful Rosings scene where the three of them are in the same room together. The tension Darcy’s not-so-sweet aunt adds to that moment at the pianoforte is simply delicious.

Sometimes, even with characters I’m writing about, I find that there’s a secondary player who walks onto the scene and seems bent on drawing attention away from the others. In According to Jane, I have one character like that. His name is Andrei Sergiov, aka “The Russian.” I loved writing him and trying to get his accent and his attitude just right, but I thought it was a personal pleasure — mine alone. I was completely unprepared for other people’s interest in him…

accordingtojane[1]Turns out, aside from my leads — Ellie, Sam and, of course, the spirit of Jane Austen herself — Andrei is the character I get questioned about most often. I’ve had book-club members and readers, from teenagers to senior citizens, ask me (more often than anything else), “So, Marilyn, can you tell us more about The Russian?” And my husband has even been asked about Andrei at work! An English teacher and fellow school-district colleague, who’d read my debut book when it first came out, stopped him in the hallway one afternoon and said, “You’re that hot Russian, right? You’ve gotta at least say you’re The Russian…” LOL! My husband and I still laugh about that ;).

What about all of you? Has there been a secondary character you’ve read in a novel (or written about in one!) that seems determined to wrestle the spotlight away from the story’s hero or heroine? What’s his or her name, and where can we find this scene stealer?

007 Marilyn Brant--clipped

Marilyn Brant

Marilyn Brant is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Contemporary Women’s Fiction and Romantic Comedy. She’s published eight novels to date, including ACCORDING TO JANE, which was a #1 Kindle Bestseller, won RWA’s Golden Heart Award and was named one of Buzzle.com’s “100 Best Romance Novels of All Time.” She also wrote PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH, which was a Top 100 Bestseller on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And her latest novel, a coming-of-age romantic mystery called THE ROAD TO YOU, is just out!

30 comments on “Scene Stealers”

    1. MarySimonsen
      There are some character actors, esp. in British films, who steal every scene they are in. Michael Gambon is one. I do have an original character in my novels, Lord Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s cousin and the colonel’s brother. He’s a true rake, and people seem to like his shenanigans. Thanks for the post.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Thanks, Mary! I’ll have to make a point of checking out the films Michael Gambon is in… As for rakes, I’m a *big* fan of them — in fiction! — myself ;).

    1. Vera Nazarian
      Great post, Marilyn! Mercutio is truly the most fascinating character, and I’ve always liked him more than Romeo (though, in the old Zeffirelli version with Leonard Whiting, Romeo still remains my school major crush).I even had a secondary character take over a book of my own and become the main character. It happened in my epic fantasy novel LORDS OF RAINBOW, and I swear, people still ask me all kinds of things about the incredibly sexy male lead, not knowing he was originally intended as a secondary character, and a villain! So, yup, it can happen and then the story can progress in truly unexpected ways… :-)

    1. Luthien84
      Great post, Marilyn. I don’t like Lady Catherine too but she is essential in drawing Mr. Darcy to propose to Elizabeth a second time.

    1. Maria Geraci
      Thanks to Masterpiece Theater and BBC America, I’ve become a huge fan of “Downton Abbey.” I was so sad when the series ended, although I’m excited that there are more episodes in the works.The Dowager Countess played by the wonderful Maggie Smith is a hoot. Almost every line that comes out of her mouth is priceless. For example, after a country weekend of shooting, one of the guests (a Turk) dies of a heart attack (under suspicious conditions, but that’s another story). The next morning when the whole family is lameting, she merely sniffs at the inconvenience of it all and says, “No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s house.”LOL!

    1. Regina Jeffers
      Marilyn,
      For me it is the Sheriff of Nottingham. I am a great “Robin Hood” fan, and through all the many productions from Tyrone Power to the BBC version, I have delightfully despised the character. Of course, when Matthew Macfadyen played the role in Russell Crowe’s disaster of a movie, I had to think twice. In fact, I wanted more of the Sheriff than what I received.In my books, I have Adam Lawrence, Viscount Stafford, a pure rake. He has made brief walk throughs in several of my pieces. Some of my readers have enjoyed “finding” him in the story lines. He’s my own “where’s Waldo,” but in The Phantom of Pemberley, Adam became a very MAJOR minor character. Since then, I have written a novella that tells his story. My readers want to know his fate.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Good morning, everyone!Vera~thank you ;). I love that your secondary character was intended to be a villain! Isn’t it exciting when a character is so strong that he refuses to be shuffled over to the side of the stage? I want to meet this sexy man of yours!Luthien84~you’re so right! We’re truly indebted to her in P&P because, as Darcy says, Lady Catherine’s nasty report about Elizabeth and her stubbornness “taught him to hope.” When I meet a real-life Lady C-type, I’m far less impressed, however, LOL.Maria, ha!!! I am a HUGE fan of Maggie Smith (years ago, I was lucky enough to see her in a live performance of “The Importance of Being Earnest” in London, and I’ve watched her again and again in “A Room with a View” :), so I can just imagine how fabulous she must be in the “Downton Abbey” series! I’ve been waiting for things to slow down a bit so I can watch it — I can’t wait!

      Regina~I’m pretty sure Matthew M. would make me a fan of the character, too ;). And I love that you have a recurring character — Adam is such a wonderful one! — and I hadn’t realized he’d made appearances in your work prior to your Phantom of Pemberley!!

    1. Regina Jeffers
      Marilyn,
      Some of my fans want Robert Pattison to play Adam in the movie version of Phantom of Pemberley. Be still my beating heart!!!! If only, I could get a screenplay, I would accept the casting. LOL!!!

    1. Susan Kaye
      Secondary characters are a lot of fun and I’ve done several that seem to get people’s attention. I sometimes think that I should put them all in a book of their own and let them fight it out.Thanks for the post Marilyn.

    1. Adrienne S
      Definitely Mary Crawford from Mansfield Park. As much as I love Fanny when you put her beside Mary, poor Fanny has quite a difficult act to follow.

    1. C. Allyn Pierson
      I have always thought that the villains would be the most interesting to play. It seems like in movies the villains also tend to have lovely voices and I love a guy with a great voice! I adore listening to Anthony Hopkins, but many of his recent films have been horror movies, which I do not like. I have watched The Mask of Zorro many times, however, and never tire of his voice (and how cool he is!) :-)

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Regina~I’d see Robert Pattinson in anything (!!), but how awesome it would be to see him as one of your characters ;).Susan, LOL! That would be quite a fight! I love the idea of the characters from different books getting together… I know a few authors (Susan Elizabeth Phillips springs to mind) who have take a secondary guy from one book and a secondary girl from another and made them the hero & heroine of a new story.Adrienne, oh, yes! Mary Crawford is just fascinating, isn’t she?! I agree — she’s a character who isn’t nearly as good-hearted as Fanny, but she certainly makes far more interesting conversation ;).Carey, you’re so right — he has a beautiful voice that you can feel resonating! And I really enjoyed that film, too. My favorite of all Zorro pictures is the one with Tyrone Power, though…swoon!!

    1. Abigail Reynolds
      I love scene stealers! My last book, Mr. Darcy’s Obsession, had so many scene stealers that they started stealing scenes from each other. It was great fun to write.And I’d love to know more about The Russian myself!

    1. LisaS
      Well, I will always love Lady C because she brought D&E together in the end. That’s the beautiful thing about our favorite domineering busy body. I happen to love Mary’s Lord Fitzwilliam. Hats off to you Mary!

    1. Monica
      Oh yes, I love Mary’s Antony Fitzwilliam, he is hilarious! And Lady Catherine in Karen W’s Darcy and Fitzwilliam is extremely entertaining! There was a scene with her and Miss Bingley that literally made me laugh until I cried.

    1. JoanneMM
      haha loved the last part about your husband being called the hot Russian!
      I totally agree that, though a minor character, Lady Catherine and Mercutio just steal the scenes! They are such interesting characters that you cannot help but be drawn to watch them!

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Abigail, that’s funny! How hilarious that they wanted to steal scenes from each other ;).LisaS, I like that expression of yours a lot: our favorite domineering busy body! What a great description!!Monica, they both sound like truly memorable characters! I love it when I come upon scenes that make me laugh like that, too ;).Joanne, thank you! It’s funnier still because — though I consider my husband very handsome — he does not look remotely Slavic ;). Glad you’re a Lady C and Mercutio fan, too!!

    1. Jennifer W
      I loved Sharon Lathan’s Uncle George as well and am excited that she is writing something specific to him. I also loved Andrei in According to Jane. It would be exciting to see a little novella or something with him trying to get Ellie back.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Aw, Jennifer, you made my night! One of these days I’d love to write a short story or novella with Andrei — thanks so much ;).

    1. Jane Odiwe
      Marilyn, your Russian gentleman sounds absolutely intriguing! Is he based on your husband? ;-)

    1. sadriani
      Marilyn, this was fun! I have to say, I’m a huge fan of Mary’s Antony Fitzwilliam, and she knows it! It may sound silly, but I also liked Sirius Black in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series very much.And, Regina, like Marilyn, I’m also in favor of Robert Pattinson in just about any role. Once away from the stigma of the Twilight movies, the extent of his talent and potential is obvious, not to mention his smile is absolutely lovely.Best,
      Susan

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Jane, um…not exactly…LOL! But, of course, he would like to think so :).Susan, I know I’m going to love Mary’s character, too! And I really agree with you on Pattinson’s acting talent — I saw him in “Remember Me” and was impressed by him in that ;). Looking forward to seeing “Water for Elephants”…

    1. BeckyC
      Marilyn,I loved the Russian and wanted to know more!Wow…this post and all the comments have me spinning! So many characters remembered, so many fun ideas!Phantom of Pemberley would make a great film, and Robert Pattison as Adam…hmmmm….

      Loved Mary’s Antony Fitzwilliam.

      Sharon’s Uncle George…the list goes on and on!

    1. Vee
      Wonderful passage Marilyn! I can’t think of a bad guy that steals the scene at the moment but have to agree with some mentioned above esp the Sherriff of Nottingham. I agree with you about Lady Catherine’s presence even if we don’t like her she is an enigma and makes a great impact in all her scenes.
      Love the bit about the “Hot Russian” LOL.
      I enjoy Robert Pattinson’s acting so far and would be curious to see how he would take on such a role Regina! It helps that he’s gorgeous ;)
      TSBO devotee
      Vee

    1. sadriani
      Marilyn, I’m very much looking forward to Water for Elephants! I’ve read the book several times and really, really enjoyed it. I’m actually most excited about seeing Christoph Waltz’s performance – he’s playing August, a character who fascinates me to no end, and might even qualify for status in this post of yours. ;)

    1. Colleen
      Loved the post Marilyn… really got me thinking of some of my favorite books and moviesIf anyone has not read Jasper Fforde’s series ‘Thursday Next’ novels I highly recommend them (or any of his other books). In his books all good characters come together, from Jane Eyre to Mrs. Cavendish to Marianne Dashwood.For those Robert Pattinson fans and dare I say Twilight fans, on Stephanie Meyers website she has a partial rough draft of ‘midnight sun’ which is a book she is writing from Edward’s perspective. I enjoyed this more then the other novels.But I must say my favorite scene stealers are Prof. Dumbledore from Harry Potter and from Princess Bride Fezzik, Inigo Montoya and Miracle Max.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      BeckyC~I’m so glad you loved The Russian…thank you ;). And I’m really excited about the characters by the other Austen writers, too — there are such fabulous secondary players jumping about between all of our stories — I love getting to read them!!Vee~thanks so much! And, yes, Robert Pattinson is definitely gorgeous! I have to say, I’d avoided reading the Twilight Saga or watching any of the films until last spring. Finally, I gave in and decided to find out what all the hype was about… I started the first book and devoured all four of them in less than two weeks (while proofing galleys for Friday Mornings at Nine!), watched the first 2 films, waited (impatiently) for “Eclipse” — saw it in the theater — and then read the “Midnight Sun” partial online and watched a bunch of actor interviews… For about 2 months, I got just a *little* obsessed ;).Susan, I’ve had Water for Elephants on my TBR shelf for AGES (Sara Gruen used to live in the next town over from me, so we know a few of the same people, although I never had the pleasure of meeting her.) So I really want to read the book — ideally before seeing the film — perhaps in the next couple of weeks! And you’ve got me excited about Christoph’s performance now, too ;).Colleen, ohhh, yes! I *loved* The Eyre Affair — so creative and funny! And, as I was telling Vee, I read “Midnight Sun” as well. Actually, I agree with you about enjoying it most. It was really interesting to see the beginning of the story told from Edward’s POV, and I was disappointed when I realized that Meyer was (justifiably) too saddened by the pirating of the draft to finish work on it. I could really see her growth as a novelist from the first book in the series to that final manuscript…sigh.

      (So, Stephenie, if you’re reading this, please know you have anxious fans who are still keeping their fingers crossed that you’ll write the end!! :)

    1. Juliet Archer
      Wonderful post, Marilyn – thank you!I also love Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey – so many crisp one-liners (‘What is a weekend?’).Henry Crawford (secondary character or anti-hero?) vs Edmund Bertram – no contest.

    1. Marilyn Brant
      Thanks, Juliet! I’m really looking forward to watching “Downton Abbey”…and YES!! Henry Crawford definitely trumps Edmund on the intriguing scale ;). There were some very compelling secondary characters in Mansfield Park, now that I think of it!!

2 comments

    • Chanpreet on February 8, 2014 at 11:06 pm
    • Reply

    There have been a few over the years but I’ll be darned if I can remember a name or a book. :/

    I would have to say most recently I read Lilian Darcy’s The Sweetest Thing and it certainly felt as if Sugar hijacked Tully’s story.

    1. That’s okay if you can’t remember them all, Chanpreet! You’ve read a LOT of books 😉 .
      I’ve read and enjoyed a few novels by Lilian Darcy over the years, but not The Sweetest Thing. I’ll have to add that one to my always-towering TBR pile!!
      xox

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