12 Examples of Excellent Character Introductions

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. 

Cliché, yes. But we’re writers. We know that clichés are more often grounded in reality than not. That’s especially true when it comes to introducing your characters. 

You only get one first chance to introduce your character to a viewer. One first chance to make them want to go on a crazy journey with that character for the duration of your film or the unknown length of your series. 

And, to use another cliché, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So, to better introduce our own characters, let’s dive into 12 excellent examples of character introductions from film and television history. 

CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW

First seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

The introduction of Captain Jack Sparrow in the first installment of the Pirates franchise is nothing short of masterful. Wind whips around the figure of a man standing atop the crow’s nest of a boat, eyeing the land in front of him. The camera moves around to see his resolute face as the theme music soars. Then all of the pomp and circumstance is dissembled when Jack jumps down to the body of his boat and the camera pulls back to reveal… it’s nothing more than a dingy. Jack frantically scoops water out of his slowly sinking vessel, removes his hat in honor of his hanging pirate comrades, ignores the warning sign, and sails right into port, stepping neatly onto the dock as his noble mode of transportation sinks beneath the water. In just 80 seconds, and free of any dialogue, audiences know exactly who Captain Jack is, and are more than willing to go on this adventure with him. 

TYLER DURDEN

Featured in Fight Club

Although Tyler Durden is technically seen in the very first shots of Fight Club, and we even hear him speak, he isn’t truly introduced until about 20 minutes later. After we meet and understand our wholly unreliable narrator, then we are ready to meet Tyler. The narrator moves through life with a cynical, despondent view on the world until one business trip back to Los Angeles during which he meets Tyler Durden. They chat about the illusion of safety and, in just a few sentences, we are more interested in Tyler than the protagonist we’ve been following for 20-minutes of the movie. Those who know the-thing-we-don’t-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-Fight-Club are treated to another layer of meaning in this crucial introduction. But, after all, the first rule of Fight Club is we don’t talk about Fight Club.

WILLY WONKA

Featured in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

A cheering crowd awaits the arrival of the titular character in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, but their faces to fall as he hobbles toward them from his famous factory. A hush falls over everyone as he nears the gate and removes his hat, and you could hear a pin hit the cobblestones as he falls forward and drops gracefully into a somersault. The dichotomy of Wonka’s calm, yet zany personality is on full display as he welcomes the winners of his contest to the chocolate factory — a polarity that the audience will unravel and discover throughout the rest of the film.

VILLANELLE

Featured in Killing Eve

A lovely woman eats ice cream in a small parlor, intently watching a young girl across the room from her. A slight smile spreads across her face, but the girl doesn’t smile back. The woman — Villanelle — continues staring at the girl, and notices that she grins at the employee behind the ice cream counter when he smiles widely at her. So Villanelle tries the same technique, mimicking behavior that she doesn’t quite understand. Then she checks her watch, wipes a drop of blood off of the watch’s face, and leaves the shop. On her way out, without skipping a beat, she flips the young girl’s ice cream into her lap. A beautiful, natural smile lights up her face as she leaves the building. In a short scene completely devoid of dialogue, audiences understand the villain and are just as spellbound by her as everyone else.

THE JOKER

Featured in The Dark Knight

In the second installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, audiences are dropped into Gotham with a shot of one man in particular. Shown from the back, with the clown mask he’ll be wearing in full view, he jumps in a car and we follow along as he goes with a group of men to rob a bank. Along the way, they ask about the guy behind the heist, someone called the Joker. The man says nothing. They enter the bank, begin stealing money, and continue with their plan for several minutes of screen time. One-by-one the members of the heist take each other out, until the only one remaining is the very same man we started the scene with. This man then removes his mask, reveals himself to be the Joker, and drives away. Since Nolan is aware that his audience already knows Batman, he intelligently spends the first five minutes of the sequel introducing us to the villain, telling us everything we need to know about this evil man before the movie’s plot even begins. 

RICK BLAINE

Featured in Casablanca

What would Casablanca be without Rick Blaine? What would Rick Blaine be without Casablanca? The interesting thing about the introduction of Humphrey Bogart’s iconic character is that it doesn’t happen until well into the film. By that point, the audience has heard Rick’s name numerous times and seen his name in lights above his popular café, but the moment audiences finally lay eyes on the man himself is understated, quiet, and altogether uneventful. But that’s Rick. The simplicity of the introduction shot tells audiences all we need to know about Rick. Watching him interact with the patrons and staff of his café in the following few minutes only cements our understanding of this complex, iconic character, and informs the decisions he will make until that oft-quoted final scene.  

SARAH MANNING

Featured in Orphan Black

Asleep on the train. A hastily muttered swear word. A tense, defensive conversation. The first 90 seconds with Sarah Manning, the clone we will follow most intensely in Orphan Black, tell us everything we need to know about who she is. Tough, weary, fierce, a little rough-around-the-edges, caring. But when she notices a woman on the platform, sees that she looks just like her, and watches this woman walk calmly in front of an oncoming train, her first instinct is to take the woman’s belongings and run. When given the choice, Sarah will choose flight over fight. She will choose to survive. 

MIRANDA PRIESTLY

Featured in The Devil Wears Prada

Everything you need to know about Miranda Priestly can be understood through the sheer terror the very idea of her presence elicits in her employees. As the silver-haired queen makes her way into the building, her subjects rush around in a panic because she’s early. A woman waiting in the elevator actually apologizes, exits, and takes another elevator when Miranda joins her in the lift. Miranda’s assistant, Emily, flurries around like a whirring dervish, then settles into a perfected façade of calm as soon as she sees her boss. In just two minutes, audiences simultaneously understand, respect, and fear Miranda Priestly — just as we should. 

AMELIE POULAIN

Featured in Amelie

Though a narrator might tell us about Amelie’s conception and birth, that’s hardly a proper introduction to the intricate and quirky young woman whose name titles this film. First, we are told about Amelie’s parents though their likes and dislikes, the specificities of their personalities that make them who they are. Then we learn about Amelie’s childhood and upbringing, which inform the young woman she will become.  When we do see the pixie-ish, dark-haired 20-something Amelie, we have a full and complete understanding not only of who she is, and how and why she moves within her world the way she does, but also of the storytelling style that is inherent to telling Amelie’s story accurately.

NORMA DESMOND

Featured in Sunset Boulevard

In the fashion of movies from the 1940s and 50s, it takes about 15 minutes before the fabulous Norma Desmond is even seen on screen. By the time we make it to her, we understand everything we need to know about screenwriter Joe Gillis but haven’t heard so much as Norma’s name. When we finally see the faded star herself, in one line we are told everything we need to know about who she is — “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” Norma is bitter, larger-than-life, dramatic, curt, and difficult to pin down. She sends Joe away then immediately changes her mind and asks him to stay. This juxtaposition, this dichotomy and complexity in who she is sets the tone for the movie, and only adds to the inevitability of the ending.

MIRIAM “MIDGE” MAISEL

Featured in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Nowadays, characters don’t typically introduce themselves to an audience. But Midge isn’t a typical character. As she explains to the guests at her wedding — and the audience who has decided to watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel— she’s one-of-a-kind. Midge knows who she is, she isn’t ashamed, and she’s completely comfortable in front of a crowd. This funny vision in white is likable, bracingly honest, and by the end of her speech, we’re more than willing to follow her wherever she’s about to go. Even if there is shrimp in the egg rolls. 

LADY BIRD and MARION McPHERSON

Featured in Lady Bird

The first conversation between Lady Bird and Marion establishes the intricate relationship between mother and daughter that will be the backbone of the film. Marion makes the hotel bed before they leave, while Lady Bird tells her she doesn’t have to. They both cry at the end of The Grapes of Wrath, but immediately disagree about how to deal with the silence of the rest of their car ride. Their conversation then quickly descends into an argument, each trying to get in a jab at the other in with every sentence. Not only does this set up the mother/daughter relationship at the core of Lady Bird, but it also quickly shows the audience each character’s point of view on life, where they have room to change and grow, and key aspects of their personality — like the fact that Lady Bird is willing to throw herself out of a moving car to get out of a conversation with her mother. The message on her arm cast in the next shot is the cherry on top.