As of writing this post, it'd been several weeks since I finished this project and I'd given myself some separation from it.
During the brainstorming process, I initially saw three characters performing on the same stage because that was the whole setup of Prince's Vanity/Apollonia 6 girl group.
I knew I wanted to have a strong female cast with a variety of characters. I also figured I'd have two different casts that performed on different nights so there'd be a little rivalry to fuel things. Except it wasn't the typical rivalry- instead of it being one night vs. another, it became tension between the two girls who shared a bill on the off-nights. It was also some time before I decided to make one of those girls the sister of another character.
So this story already had two firsts for me: focusing on female cameraderie more than romance (although there is romance) and relationship between siblings. Every other character I'd created in my life was an only child.
There's a lot of talk when it comes to writing about where character names come from because usually there's some sort of significant meaning behind them. Look up any name on Google and you'll find that they're associated with certain keywords.
I typically don't operate that way. I'll pick a name out of the blue because I like the sound of it and that's my final choice. In this case, I had more purposeful name choices that draw reference back to that initial spark.
***
I thought it'd be interesting to go through the cast members, their origins and various other details- hopefully without giving away too much about their story arcs.
Natalia Montez
Namesake:
Montez was Gabriella's last name in High School Musical.
As for Natalia, the first time I heard that name, it belonged to a girl in my 12th grade English class. She had the goth thing going for her with the dark hair, piercings and pale skin. We never had any sort of interaction but it was an exotic name I'd always liked
Who I see when I read/write about her:
Nelly Furtado's music inspired a lot of her story arc so dark hair and tan skin.
But also a little Kate Beckett from "Castle"
When she dances, Mayte Garcia- a famous bellydancer in her own right before entering Prince's orbit
Ghosts and Skeletons:
She was seduced by her stepfather at a young age. After learning he was only using her, she developed a deeply engrained trust of men. She'll use them to fulfill her sexual desires but the last thing she ever wanted to do was fall in love
Extra note:
Despite leaning on a Latino/Latina cast located on a fictional island somewhere in the Caribbean, she's the only siren I imagine having an accent. English is also her second language.
She's also the only one that doesn't correlate to a SuckerPunch character. If any connection can be made, it wasn't my intention when I created her.
Vanessa Zapata
Namesake:
I wanted a last name that started with a "Z" to draw reference back to UCLA gymnast Vanessa Zamarripa. She'd scored a few perfect 10's in her time and she had an interesting exotic look. Eventually I found Zapata, which was the last name of an FBI agent from the series "Blindspot."
Vanessa also draws reference back to Vanessa Hudgens, who played Blondie in SuckerPunch. Beyond that, there's no other connection.
Who I see when I read/write about her:
The honest answer is that I still haven't figured that out. I originally thought she'd look similiar to Rosalie from Twilight- tall, skinny, blonde like a swimsuit model. But later I wrote about her having a similar body type to another character who has more curves.
Hopefully at some point I can decide on hair and eye color cuz I'm not sure if I want her to be blonde or dark haired
Ghosts and Skeletons:
She came from a well-to-do family but chose a different career path against her parent's wishes. Straight out of high school, she moved in with her boyfriend. This relationship became abusive over time. He was easily jealous of her talking to other men and physically berated her as a result. Then he'd come around the next day with a gift to apologize and the cycle continues. Reconnecting with Talia is what ultimately gets her away from him for good
Extra Notes:
In the group, she's the peacemaker.
Because of her upbringing, I like incorporating some bigger words into her dialogue to set her apart.
Amber Garcia
Namesake:
Garcia is a common Latina surname. I didn't give it a lot of thought when I decided to use it. Although it happens to be Mayte's last name and her family was from Puerto Rico originally.
Amber was another SuckerPunch character but my character only shares a name with her. Amber also wound up being the name of one of my coworkers. She's a badass in her own right, but as much as I want to connect the two, that was just another happy coincidence.
One of her story arcs revolves around the fact she was a former employee of the club who returned years later under a different identity. A couple songs of pop duo Karmin's "Hello" EP helped inform this backstory so her original name was Carmen. Before she took on this more salacious identity.
Who I see when I read/write about her:
Definitely some sort of mashup between Vanity and Apollonia. Curvy in all the right places and a commanding stage presence when the lights are on.
For some reason, I always read her lines in the same voice Megan Fox used when she played Carla Santini in "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen"
Ghosts and Skeletons:
Her mom was a teenage runaway when she got mixed up in a prostitution ring. Then after she passed away, she was subjected to similar abuse for a number of years before one of her clients helped her escape.
There are several other things after that, but this is a good enough preview. Of all the character, she's probably the one I have the most fleshed out in terms of backstory. Most of which won't make the final product.
Extra Notes:
If this story ever manifested into visual media, and in today's world, diversity is considered essential- she's the only character I could imagine being played by a black or Afro-Latina actress.
And despite her motivation involving around one of the lead male characters, I'm pretty sure she's bisexual. The way she relates to at least one of the sirens, possibly two, I can imagine her having feelings that go beyond friendship.
Scarlet and Ruby Castillo
Namesakes:
The original last name I had in mind was Rasumusen- from American Idol finalist Carmen Rasmusen- but I changed it later on because I didn't think it'd work in a Latin setting. Cara Castillo was Jake Martin's ex-wife on "All My Children."
I didn't give a lot of thought about their names other than the fact I imagined the twins as red heads. Although Scarlet has a lighter shade with red highlights and Ruby has red hair with lighter highlights.
Who I see when I read/write about them:
For several reasons, Rocket (Jena Malone) was a character that really stuck with me throughout SuckerPunch. I saw the movie recently and seeing her again really felt like seeing Scarlet in the flesh.
As for Ruby, she typically wears more makeup. Eyeliner and mascara. Scarlet's the more amiable twin while Ruby isn't quite as warm and fuzzy when you first meet her. If I had Jena Malone be the model for her, it'd probably be closer to her Hunger Games character Johanna.
Ghosts and Skeletons:
Both experienced sexual abuse from their father. The whole situation is horrendous and I felt like it got more twisted over time. Particularly how Scarlet took the brunt of it to protect her sister but Ruby learns after she helps her sister get away to get a fresh start elsewhere that Scarlet's still the one he preferred. Much like she was always the more popular between the two of them when they were in school.
Because Ruby spent a couple more years playing the part, she became a little more hardened and is the more realistic of the two of them. Scarlet is the more optimistic one, but her ghosts from her past still hold her back sometimes.
Extra Notes:
This is one of those moments where it's important to reiterate that none of the experiences these characters go through correlate to anything from my own life. But they show how much darkness I'd absorbed from various media and this was my way of expressing that.
Emilia De La Rosa
Namesake:
The last name is nothing but a stage name Talia created for her.
Emilia is a direct reference to Emily Browning, who played Babydoll in SuckerPunch. It's also a name I'd recently become very fond of through Animal Crossing, although her name is spelled the same as Amelia Earhart's
Who I see when I read/write about her:
...out of the all the inspiration I drew from that movie, this is probably has the most grounds for a copyright lawsuit. Not gonna lie.
But I believe there's enough differences to set them apart.
Emilia is very light on her feet, the newest member of the collective, her virginity is brought up a number of times and she's the flashpoint for multiple character arcs.
But aside from all that and her asethetic (pale skin and platinum blonde hair), she's the polar opposite of Babydoll in a lot of ways. She's much more lighthearted and optimistic. Her greatest draw is her youth and talent, but she still lacks the maturity that defines the "siren" model.
Ghosts and Skeletons:
Like Vanessa, she moved in with her boyfriend straight out of high school. But when it was time to move in together, she found out that he's cheating on her.
That's basically it... she has no sexual experience at all and her purity is the main reason Talia brings her into the group. And she sets up all kinds of rules to ensure her innocence remains intact. As the story progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that that approach isn't foulproof and she can't be protected from all the dangers that lurk in the shadows.
Extra Notes:
At the start of the story, Emilia kinda has the innocence of Taylor Swift in the less dramatic moments of her "Red" era. But toward the end, she's a little closer to "Reputation" Taylor. A little hardened around the edges but she still maintains the same optimism.
The male part of the cast is small and won't get nearly as much discussion. Three are love interests and another has an antagonist role
Rodrigo named after the actor who played Carl in "Love Actually"- he's from Brazil but it's also a good Latin name to fit in with the group. My character couldn't be any more different from that role.
Without giving too much away, he causes some trouble with a couple of the other sirens when Talia isn't returning his calls.
Alejandro Guiterrez
...Alejandro had an interesting evolution as a character. I knew he and Talia worked together at Calypso but he was originally going to be the jealous boyfriend type. This role eventually got taken over by Rodrigo (as well as Vanessa's abusive ex). And after she falls in love with someone else, he winds up letting her go.
Now for the real version of the events:
It was pretty much a given that I was going to have someone named Alejandro in this story. The Lady Gaga song of the same name had been in my lexicon for years and it seemed like a natural fit. Especially since I decided to go in this direction with all the Latin names.
He and Talia run Calypso together- he's the bartender but he also handles the logistical side of things while she handles the entertainment side. He fell for her the first time he saw her and he did ask her out. Unfortunately there's a misunderstanding when she catches him with another girl and he hadn't heard the end of it since. She never takes him seriously but he does a damn good job keeping the business together, especially during the times she's not around to handle things herself.
Originally I had someone in mind like Romey's co-worker Ramon from "Romey & Michelle's HIgh School Reunion"- somewhat of a comic relief character.
But when I really think about it, Alejandro has probably went through the most changes of any other character I'd written for the story. He's more than just Talia's regular punching bag. He's also a confidant for the other sirens.
But more importantly, he's Amber's key love interest. Since she first arrived at the business that became Calypso, she had an interest in him but by the time she found any courage to confess her feelings, other things kept getting in her way. He's the main reason she came back at all after the Carmen to Amber transition.
Like Talia, he has a pronounced accent and English is his second language. There's one scene where the two of them have an entire conversation in Spanish and the other sirens are left out of the loop because none of them know the language.
Javier Taylor-Lopez
Javi was named after Spanish figure skater Javier Fernandez. He was also a last minute addition because Scarlet needed a love interest to kick her story arc into motion. Any sexual experience she had was her father's abuse and while she hadn't given up on the idea of love (like Talia), she's nervous about taking that first step. And things aren't as easy as "happily ever after" when they reach that point in their relationship- those demons finally need to be confronted and she has to reach that place on her own.
Juan Paulo "JP" Esposito
Esposito was the last name of one of Beckett's fellow cops in Castle.
Paulo was the name of the Italian pop singer from the Lizzie McGuire movie.
JP, like many men before him, fell in love with Talia the first time he met her. She invites him up on stage to do karaoke, something she regularly does with tourists during the busy summer season. He falls under the impression that there's some sort of spark between them, something she repeatedly denies. He and Javi were in a band together in high school and they reunite for the summer to hopefully record an album. Talia becomes his greatest inspiration and he writes dozens of songs about her.
He's an all-around sweet guy and maybe a little clueless. But once he learns what he's dealing with, he wants to convince her to leave the business... which naturally doesn't go well.
