As you may know, a parenthetical (also known as a “wryly”) is the text that exists right below a character’s name (in, yes, a parenthetical). Since it’s also called an “actor’s direction” or a “parenthetical direction,” it exists to give direction.
These parentheticals often convey useful information about subtext or the line’s delivery if it’s not automatically clear.
Let’s Look at an Example from Don’t Look Up:
Here, you can see that the parentheticals offer insight to the characters’ intentions.
But the thing with wrylies is that 1) they can be overused (many screenwriters will often overdirect the characters in their head, and 2) directors and actors will sometimes ignore what’s on the page in favor of their own interpretation.
So, when to use them?
Here are a few good Do’s and Don’ts.
Parenthetical Do’s:
- Do: Indicate a subtext that may not exactly be clear on the line
- Do: Give additional information that may help the reader about the speaking character (i.e., “raises glass”)
- Do: Add a beat or pause
Parenthetical Don’ts:
- Don’t: Overdirect the actor or director
- Don’t: Insert actions that belong to another character (it’s better to use an action line for that)
- Don’t: Finish a block of dialogue on a parenthetical (it’s probably better to use an action line for that)
Here’s the thing with wrylies and action lines: you don’t want to overuse them because they can add unnecessary space on the page, making for a more sluggish read. (On the flip side, if you need to add space, feel free to add, but do so judiciously).