Halston: How to write a likable main character

Halston: How to write a likable main character  This week we’re going to be looking at the new limited series Halston and how to write a screenplay where the main character isn’t exactly likable. If you look at Halston, the main character played by Ewan McGregor is basically an assemblage of neuroses and self-involvement that we probably shouldn’t like. And yet, we managed to stay with Halston for five episodes, completely involved and connected and in love with Halston and his world.  So how does that work? How did they pull this off? Why do we care about Halston?  There’s a famous book called Save the Cat that many of you are probably familiar with.  Save the Cat suggests that if you are writing an “unlikable” main character like Halston, and want your main character to become likable, you should send a cat up a tree and let the main character heroically save the cat. The idea is that the audience will then magically fall in love with the previously unlikable main character, because they can see what a lovely person he or she is.  Of course, you can probably imagine that I think that this is total baloney! Look at the character we meet in Halston!  Halston is a character who probably wouldn’t even condescend to pet the cat if it was anything less than a purebred.  Halston is a character who would probably have screamed at the cat and blamed the cat for his own failings until the cat climbed up the tree to escape.  Halston is a character who would most likely leave the cat stuck up in that tree and then take credit for whatever the cat’s work was.  Halston is a character who’s so self-involved that he might not even be aware of the cat.  Halston is a character who would likely chop down the tree that the cat was stuck in, and land it smack dab in the middle of his own house, and then blame the rest of the universe for it.  Halston is a character who’s constantly egotistical, narcissistic and self-involved. He’s not saving the cat at all. Yet, he’s far from an unlikable main character. In fact, we don’t just like him, we love him.  Of course, this is also true in life. When you think about your friends, everybody’s had that person in their life that is just too nice. “Wow, they brought me cookies. Wow, they showed up and helped me mow my lawn. Wow, they’re so nice. Wow, after doing all this nice stuff, I oddly still don’t I really want to hang out with them?” On the other hand, you might have another character in your life who is a little bit of a jerk, but you kind of get them and you enjoy their company. I’m not suggesting that a main character needs to be nasty for us to love them. There are plenty of lovely main characters that we fall in love with. Look at the main character in Soul that we discussed a couple podcasts ago. He’s a beautiful character. He’s a sweet, sweet man. Look at the main character of Chef, another wonderful, lovely main character. Look at the main character of Toy Story. Why do I keep going to Pixar movies? Because they have sweet main characters. The character doesn’t have to be nasty. Look at the characters of so many movies and TV shows and you’ll see lovely people trying to do the right thing. You’ll see the Erin Brockovich type characters, those characters who are fundamentally good people. Look at every Tom Hanks movie ever made, like Forrest Gump, for example. Tom Hanks constantly plays a character who is an all around good guy, and these characters are equally likable. I’m not suggesting that your character needs to be a badass tough guy like Walter White.