What are Uta Hagen’s 9 Questions?
A Practical Guide to Character Development for Actors
(By Jim Webb)
1. Who am I?
This is the foundation of all character work. When an actor asks “Who am I?” they are diving into the core identity of the character they are portraying. Uta Hagen taught that this question should be answered with as much detail as possible—beyond what’s provided in the script.
Example:
If you’re playing Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, you might determine:
“I’m a 63-year-old traveling salesman who lives in Brooklyn. I am worn down by years of chasing the American Dream and feel deep shame for my perceived failures. I love my family but have complicated relationships with my sons.”
These details build the inner world of the character and anchor the performance in truth.
2. What time is it?
This question addresses not only the clock and calendar but also the historical and emotional period. It includes time of day, year, era, and how these influence behavior.
Example:
If you’re playing Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, and it’s late at night in Scene 6, the emotional fatigue and desperation would color her behavior differently than in a morning scene. The time is also post-WWII America—a period that informs her decline and her genteel values.
3. Where am I?
The physical and emotional environment deeply influences a character’s behavior. “Where am I?” refers not only to the setting (a kitchen, a park, a battlefield) but also to its atmosphere and the character’s relationship to it.
Example:
In Hamlet, the question “Where am I?” shifts from the palace in Elsinore to the graveyard to the stage during the play-within-a-play. Each location affects Hamlet’s body language, voice, and intentions.
Is your character in a familiar, safe place—or a hostile, unknown one? Your performance should reflect that distinction.
4. What surrounds me?
This expands on the previous question by considering what is physically present: objects, people, colors, sounds, and even unseen forces (like tension or threat). Actors must react realistically to their environment.
Example:
In The Glass Menagerie, Laura’s fragile world is filled with delicate figurines, soft lighting, and shadows. These surroundings are reflective of her inner life, and an actor playing Laura must move gently, with sensitivity to her emotional fragility and the symbolic weight of her environment.
5. What are the given circumstances?
Hagen emphasized the importance of understanding all the information given by the playwright: facts, events, relationships, previous actions, social conditions, and what has just happened in the moments before the scene begins.
Example:
In August: Osage County, Violet Weston is addicted to pills, has cancer, and is reeling from her husband’s disappearance and death. These given circumstances explain her erratic behavior and emotional outbursts.
Actors must absorb these details to ground their choices in the text’s reality.
6. What is my relationship?
This question considers the relationship the character has to everyone and everything on stage—including themselves. Relationships are dynamic and help determine tone, pacing, and physicality.
Example:
If you’re playing Nora in A Doll’s House, your relationship to Torvald Helmer changes drastically from the beginning to the end of the play. Initially, you behave as a submissive wife. By the final scene, you are a woman demanding respect and autonomy. An actor must track and reflect these evolving dynamics.
7. What do I want?
Also known as the objective, this is what drives the character’s behavior. Every action must be rooted in a specific want. Hagen stressed that objectives should be active, playable verbs—what the character is doing, not feeling.
Example:
In Doubt, Sister Aloysius may want to “expose” Father Flynn, “protect” the students, or “assert” authority. These objectives give purpose and power to every line of dialogue.
Avoid vague objectives like “to be happy.” Instead, choose strong verbs like “to win,” “to punish,” or “to seduce.”
8. What is in my way?
This is the obstacle—internal or external—that prevents the character from easily achieving their objective. Conflict is essential to drama, and understanding obstacles helps actors create tension and stakes.
Example:
In Macbeth, the title character wants power, but his conscience, Lady Macbeth’s manipulations, and his hallucinations all serve as obstacles. These conflicting forces create a tormented, tragic performance.
Hagen taught that the richest performances emerge from clear objectives and equally clear obstacles.
9. What do I do to get what I want?
This is the action—the tactics or strategies the character uses to achieve their goal. An actor must translate intentions into physical and vocal choices: how the character behaves moment to moment to overcome obstacles.
Example:
In Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, George might “mock,” “goad,” or “disarm” Martha to regain control. The actor chooses tactics that align with the character’s style and emotional truth.
This question also ties into beat work, where each shift in tactic marks a new beat or moment in the scene.
Using the 9 Questions in Practice
These nine questions are not meant to be answered once and forgotten. They are tools for rehearsal, character journaling, and performance consistency. Uta Hagen believed that truthful acting comes from internal discovery—making the role one’s own rather than copying an external model.
Many actors keep a journal with each question answered in first-person from the character’s point of view. This helps personalize the role and create emotional connectivity.
Example (Character: Walter Lee Younger, from A Raisin in the Sun):
Who am I? I’m a 35-year-old Black man in 1950s Chicago, desperate to break free of poverty.
What do I want? I want to provide a better life for my family and prove I’m more than a chauffeur.
What is in my way? Racism, class barriers, and my own frustration.
Each answer fuels his performance.
Conclusion: Uta Hagen’s Legacy in the Actor’s Toolbox
Uta Hagen’s 9 Questions are more than just a checklist—they are a bridge between script analysis and emotional authenticity. When actors use them rigorously, they unlock layers of truth and bring complex characters to life.
Her influence endures in drama schools and professional stages worldwide. Whether you’re performing Shakespeare or sitcoms, Hagen’s questions offer a way to build performances that resonate with clarity, depth, and human vulnerability.
As Hagen once said:
“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.”
Use her questions. Be extraordinary.
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