Characters & Acting
Mapping the gang hierarchy.
Exam Focus: Non-Verbal Communication
In DNA, what characters do not say matters as much as the dialogue. High-mark answers talk about facial expression, nervous tics, eye contact, and how props (like Phil’s food) communicate shifting status inside the pack.
Click a character to reveal their acting profile.
Exam Answer Builder
Model paragraph (skills → meaning → audience effect)
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Select a gang member
Click on a node in the web to view vocal and physical acting strategies.
Phil
The silent psychopath
The centre of gravity. He rarely speaks, preferring to eat. When he does speak, his logic dictates the pack’s survival, regardless of cost.
🗣️ Vocal Skills
Monotone. Little emotional colour. Slow pace that forces others to wait, making him the timekeeper of the group.
🚶 Physical Skills
Terrifying stillness. Relaxed posture. Unblinking eye contact when giving orders. Uses food as a prop to show indifference to panic.
Leah
The moral conscience
Desperate for Phil’s validation. She fills silence with monologues, then realises she must escape the pack.
🗣️ Vocal Skills
Rapid, breathless pace. Pitch rises and cracks when insecure. Few pauses — she’s frightened of silence.
🚶 Physical Skills
Fidgeting and self-soothing gestures. Changes distance constantly: moves closer to seek approval, retreats when ignored.
John Tate
The broken leader
Starts as a bluster-leader using fear. Stress shatters his authority and exposes insecurity.
🗣️ Vocal Skills
Loud volume as a weapon. Aggressive pace. But allow tremor/cracks on key words to reveal panic beneath bravado.
🚶 Physical Skills
Rigid posture. Chest-out to appear bigger. Jerky defensive gestures as he loses control; avoids eye contact with Phil.
Cathy
The sadist
Finds violence exciting. Lacks empathy. By the end she fills the power vacuum with ruthless confidence.
🗣️ Vocal Skills
Bright, enthusiastic tone that clashes with the situation. Laughs/giggles at the wrong moments.
🚶 Physical Skills
Energetic and bouncy. Confident gestures. As power grows, posture becomes taller and she takes more space.
Brian
The weakest link
The body of guilt. Pressure destroys him mentally. He’s threatened into compliance and medicated into detachment.
🗣️ Vocal Skills
Early: whispering, stuttering, tearful. Later: breathy and detached, with sudden inappropriate giggles.
🚶 Physical Skills
Cowering and low physical level. Hugging knees/crouching. Later: loose, uncoordinated, absent-minded movement.