Side Characters in an Ensemble Cast: Their Importance and Why

We are all the main characters of our story, but side characters in someone else's. This applies to all the characters in our stories, including "unnamed janitor number 5". Everyone has a life, and while you may not dive into every nuance of a side character's life, it helps to know a few key details. And here's why.

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First off, some definitions:

Side Character: A character who isn't the main focus of the story but holds a role in the story. [Example: Dragon Ball focuses on Goku as the main character, but side characters like Bulma, Master Roshi, and Krillin are all well-known and hold importance to the story.)

Ensemble Cast: A group of characters who are all equally the main character, with no clear protagonist. (Example: Stranger Things, Friends, The Proud Family, The Muppets, Modern Family)

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They Aid/Hinder the "Protagonist"

When you are working with an ensemble cast, there are many side characters that appear. It may be one of the main group members' younger sibling or someone's boss. The life of an ensemble cast involves the daily lives of all involved. Whoever is the focus of the episode usually has control over which side characters are involved. They could be the obstacle of the episode or the love interest. The way the characters interact affects the protagonist and all involved.

For example, in Friends, Monica and Chandler are getting married and have family coming into town. Monica's cousin needs a place to stay and ends up hopping from apartment to apartment because she's too hot for the friends to handle. The cousin, while being related to two of the six friends, affects the lives of all six friends in some way.

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They Help Beef Up Your Story's World Building

Like I said, these are the people who come in contact with the world around the main cast of characters. The more of them you have, the more your world isn't just a stagnant set. Unless this is a story about people who grew up on the same block as children, each character has a childhood home. A family of characters. Even going on vacation can cause one of the main cast members to run into an old ex or a long-lost relative.

If you're writing a world of magic and fantasy, this can deepen your world-building by giving you access to potions, spells, and opportunities that your main cast of characters may not have had access to before.

For example, say you have a group of adventurers who are trying to make an audience with the queen of the town. They are at a dead end until they save a lost princess from bandits and gain access to the castle through an audience with the royal family's gratitude. Without the encounter with that princess, the group would've had to figure something else out to meet the queen. Sometimes, a strategic meeting is all your story needs to beef up the world around your cast of characters.

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They Shape the Flavor of the Journey

The side characters that appear in an ensemble cast don't last longer than a season. Any longer and they become a part of the main ensemble. Even significant others aren't truly established in every moment of the main cast unless they get married or are serious. Because of this, their special tendencies and quirks add a certain air to the group while the character is around. This can be both positive and negative.

For example, if you're traveling around with a snooty princess, you're group may have a different vibe or reactions rather than how they would react to traveling with a frail elder.

The smaller details of how the side character aids and hinders the main group are what round out the journey in your story. For as long as that side character is present, the main cast is going to act differently than usual (even if it's super slight).

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It may not seem like it at first, but side characters are the secret spice that makes a character's journey meaningful, especially in an ensemble cast. The smaller parts of your main cast's life are important. Use it strategically to color your story and bring the world your characters live in to life.

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