The Ramblings of a Sleep-Walking Woman...

Thought more about my characters and developed them a bit further -- Izzy is the new Belle and Robert is the new Bob. Too many name complaints...though they are the least of my worries. Thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Enjoy!

Untitled 1930s Starlet film

Character Break-downs:

Izzy (protagonist)
There’s always been a scandal around Izzy Doyle. When she was seven, her father left their family to be a painter in Paris. She has his creative genes, but vows that once she’s married she’ll always stay true to that person, no matter what. Because of her estranged relationship with her father, she’s always felt the need to succeed in her own right, in order to be valued. She’s grown up singing in the church choirs around town and also has recently taken on Broadway. She’s always helped support the family with her wages from singing and acting, and although Robert offers her a comfortable situation, she still has to prove to herself (her dad) and everyone else that she is worth paying attention to.

An aspiring singer and actress, whose husband wants her to settle down. She is inherently sweet but her ambition for success trumps that and makes her selfish. She's been trained in music and theatre on scholarship, coming from a poor, but respected family in Pennsylvania. Despite the bad morals thought to be held by performers, Izzy is and always behaves like a true lady.

Izzy thinks she can handle what Hollywood has in store for her. She is well-versed in charm and has withstood the wiles of the world up until now. When she arrives in Hollywood, however, she is smacked in the face with the reality of the “rules of the game” on the West Coast. Still fairly naïve, always having her mother with her in the past, she is thrown off the deep end into a pool of sharks. She realizes just in the nick of time that if she isn’t smart and doesn’t stand her ground, she could lose her respectability – on the other hand, she could lose her career if she does. She walks a fine line between light and dark sides when she is introduced to David. At that point she is lonely and hasn’t felt a connection to another person like this in a while, if ever. She doesn’t give in though, and realizes that because of this she is spared a lot of unpleasant consequences.

Izzy is…determined, a perfectionist, highly moral and God-loving, self-protecting-ly selfish, loving, stubborn, charming, a purist, independent

Robert (antagonist)

A pediatrician with his own practice, Robert is as left-brained and analytical as his wife Izzy is right-brained and creative. Robert comes from New York money and expects a certain level of decorum from his wife. He feels performing is beneath her. He wants Izzy to stay home with him in New York and be the society wife everyone is expecting him to have.
When Izzy goes to Hollywood, Robert is humiliated, but doesn’t know how to make her stay. As time goes on, his “well-wishing” friends hint that he should divorce her. He starts feeling resentful that other men have their wives around and they are congratulated for it, but he is shown pity instead. He’s viewed as a man who couldn’t keep his wife at home as she’s run off to become some morally questionable woman in Hollywood. Over the course of the film, Robert becomes more of a man, willing to stand up for what he believes his life should be, not what other people think.

Once Izzy leaves, Robert tries to understand her reasoning by spending more time with Izzy’s close friend, Emma, sparking jealousy in Izzy and murmurings in the neighborhood.

Robert…goes along with the crowd, intellectual, handsome, good-natured, lacks self-confidence

Marjorie (confidant)

Izzy's mother, Marjorie chaperones her and manages her career. Although not a business woman, she just supports her daughter in what she believes to be her calling. She was excited to see her daughter get married, but still wants Izzy to pursue her dreams.

David

A Hollywood playboy of an actor who sees all of Izzy's goodness and wants her for his own. He does everything in his power to induce her into a relationship with him.

Gwen

A Hollywood starlet who is milking her looks for all they’re worth – experimenting with whatever new substance is the fad, and riding the rollercoaster of life with no seatbelt.

Emma

A good New York socialite, the all American girl-next-door (if you live in a rich neighborhood), who would make the perfect, sweet cookie-cutter wife.