“Avoid the passive protagonist” is common screenwriting advice. And it sounds straightforward enough. Yet there are a couple of ways writers miss this target without even realizing it.
So let’s make sure you’re getting it right.
What is a passive protagonist?
You’ve probably heard a passive protagonist described as one who doesn’t take action in the story. And, as you know, a protagonist’s actions are what drive the narrative and give it direction and momentum. So a passive protagonist results in a limp story.
This kind of protagonist might be most common in writers’ first screenplays, which it seems like are often navel gazey, indie-style explorations (haven’t we all been there?) But the passive protagonist can sneak into more plot-focused or high concept scripts as well, if we’re not careful. Because that definition – “one who doesn’t take action” – is an incomplete view of the problem.
It’s always easier to fall into a trap you don’t see.
If we want to really understand the issue, it’s helpful to think about the difference between active, reactive, and proactive characters.
An active protagonist isn’t necessarily the answer
Where writers sometimes get tripped up is when they try to remedy a passive protagonist by making sure the character is doing a lot of stuff – being active. And while this is a good instinct and a solid start, it’s important to understand the difference between doing things, and doing things in a deliberate and directed way – doing things that drive the story forward.
A passive protagonist isn’t just one who doesn’t take action, it’s one who doesn’t take action toward a goal and/or doesn’t have a goal at all. (I’ve said it before – it all comes back to the story goal.)
Active vs. Reactive vs. Proactive protagonists
An active protagonist might do a lot of things and take a lot of action on screen… but are their actions goal-oriented? Do they have a plan? Does the audience understand what the protagonist’s actions are meant to accomplish, what end they’re attempting to achieve?
If not, the actions likely feel empty or inconsequential, and the story itself doesn’t move.
A reactive protagonist is one who – as you can guess – reacts to what’s happening to them. But while you might think an active protagonist is more desirable than a reactive protagonist, that’s not necessarily so. A reactive protagonist can also have a goal or plan they want to achieve, even as they’re reacting to everything being thrown their way.
Still, a reactive protagonist probably has to become proactive at some point in the story if you really want to keep the audience engaged.
A proactive protagonist has a goal and/or a plan, and is taking action to accomplish it. The thing to pay attention to here is making sure the audience is aware of what that goal or plan is. You can probably get away with keeping it mysterious for a short time, but at some point we need to know what the protagonist is trying to do.
Without an end point we can project forward to, the protagonist’s actions will seem directionless and ineffective.
The protagonist’s goal or plan and the actions they take toward that end are what pull us through the story. When we don’t know what they’re trying to achieve, they just seem busy for no reason. Which feels directionless and lacking momentum – and results in a script that ceases to carry the reader along.
Whatever you call it, the protagonist’s actions are the story…
As Robert McKee writes in Story:
“…the truly passive protagonist is a regrettably common mistake. A story cannot be told about a protagonist who doesn’t want anything, who cannot make decisions, whose actions effect no change at any level.”
Whatever you call it, the protagonist’s actions are the story…
… So make sure the story has a point. The point is what they’re trying to achieve, and the story is what they’re willing to do to get there.
When we know what the end point is – what the protagonist desires – we can anticipate what’s coming. Anticipation is the basis for that push-pull of hope and dread that keeps us enthralled. We’re invested and engaged, and we’ll eagerly watch what happens next.