Character Relationship Map: The Users

Characters

• Elena Scheider (played by Jaclyn Smith) — protagonist

  Elena is a prostitute hired by producer Adam Baker to seduce actor Randy Brent. She falls in love with Randy and marries him, then tries to help restore his career by cultivating Hollywood connections...

• Randy Brent (played by Tony Curtis) — supporting

  Randy is a once-famous actor who has withdrawn from the screen since his wife died by suicide, and he struggles with love scenes in his comeback film. He falls in love with Elena and marries her, but...

• Warren Ambrose (played by Red Buttons) — supporting

  Warren is a powerful studio owner whose new project, Rogue's Gallery, is expected to succeed. Elena seduces him while trying to get Randy considered for a role in the film. Warren points her toward ex...

• Grace St. George (played by Joan Fontaine) — supporting

  Grace is a wealthy socialite and one of the Hollywood insiders who welcomes Elena into her circle. Elena turns to her for advice on becoming an insider, including attending the right parties and dress...

• Reade Jamieson (played by John Forsythe) — supporting

  Reade is a wealthy executive producer connected to Rogue's Gallery. Warren directs Elena to him while she is trying to get Randy considered for the film, and Elena and Reade are immediately attracted...

• Marty Lesky (played by Alan Feinstein) — supporting

  Marty is determined to release Randy's comeback film, The Last Man, as a made-for-television movie rather than give it a theatrical release. His judgment that the film is too poor for theaters threate...

• Adam Baker (played by George Hamilton) — supporting

  Adam is a film producer who hires Elena to seduce Randy. Marina later trusts him, but his affair with her is revealed to be self-serving: he slept with her so she would play the female lead in Rogue's...

• Henry Waller (played by Darren McGavin) — supporting

  Henry is the screenwriter responsible for casting the roles in Rogue's Gallery. Reade tells Elena that Henry controls the casting decision, but Henry refuses to attend a party she arranges and says he...

• Harvey Parkes (played by Michael Baseleon) — supporting

  Harvey is Elena's masseur and provides her with important information about Marina's love life. He tells Elena that the married man Marina trusts is Adam Baker, whose wife knows about the affair. This...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Warren Ambrose → Reade Jamieson (Professional Associates) — They are connected through the film's studio and executive production structure.

  Warren tells Elena to speak with Reade, the wealthy executive producer of Rogue's Gallery.

• Randy Brent → Henry Waller (Professional Casting Candidate) — Randy's access to the role depends on Henry's professional decision.

  Henry is identified as the screenwriter and the person casting the roles, while Randy seeks the lead in Rogue's Gallery.

• Randy Brent → Warren Ambrose (Professional Potential Casting Associate) — Warren has influence over Randy's possible career comeback.

  Warren owns the studio behind Rogue's Gallery and discusses whether Randy should receive a role in the project.

• Elena Scheider → Henry Waller (Professional Casting Leverage) — Elena influences Henry's casting decision through a calculated personal encounter.

  Henry refuses to consider casting Randy, but Elena visits him in his hotel and successfully seduces him, ensuring Randy the lead role.

• Elena Scheider → Reade Jamieson (Romantic Love Interest) — Their attraction develops into the lasting marriage that follows Elena's separation from Randy.

  Warren directs Elena to Reade, and the two immediately feel attracted to each other. The ending states that Elena and Reade are happily married.

• Elena Scheider → Warren Ambrose (Romantic Seduction) — Elena uses an intimate encounter with Warren to gain access to the film's casting process.

  Elena seduces Warren, the powerful studio owner behind Rogue's Gallery, while trying to help Randy obtain a role.

• Elena Scheider → Harvey Parkes (Professional Masseur And Informant) — Harvey provides Elena with information that exposes Adam's private conduct.

  Harvey is Elena's masseur and tells her that the married man Marina trusts is Adam.

• Adam Baker → Randy Brent (Professional Associate) — Adam's professional interests directly affect Randy's personal and career situation.

  Adam hires Elena specifically to seduce Randy, an actor whose career and return to filmmaking are central to the arrangement.

• Adam Baker → Elena Scheider (Professional Employer) — Adam initially controls Elena's involvement with Randy through a paid professional arrangement.

  Adam hires Elena to seduce Randy and uses the arrangement as part of his Hollywood interests.

• Elena Scheider → Randy Brent (Romantic Partner) — Their relationship develops from a paid seduction into marriage, conflict, reconciliation, and eventual separation.

  Elena is hired to seduce Randy, but he soon falls in love with her. She later marries him in Las Vegas.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Randy Brent → Marty Lesky (Conflict Career Opponents) — Marty's release decision threatens Randy's return to the screen.

  Marty insists that Randy's film should be released as a made-for-TV movie because he considers it unsuitable for theatrical release.

• Elena Scheider → Grace St. George (Social Friend And Adviser) — Grace guides Elena through Hollywood's social system and later helps her arrange Henry's party.

  Grace welcomes Elena into Hollywood society and helps her attend the right parties and wear the right clothes.

Story Analysis

Elena navigates Hollywood's transactional relationships while securing Randy's comeback and pursuing a new life of her own.

Plot Progression

1. A Paid Beginning — Adam hires Elena to seduce Randy, whose return to filmmaking is troubled by his inability to perform love scenes. The arrangement unexpectedly becomes a genuine romance.
2. Entering Hollywood's Circle — Elena moves into Randy's mansion and is welcomed by Hollywood insiders. Harvey's revelation and Elena's observations expose a society built on mutual exploitation.
3. The Fight for a Comeback — After marrying Randy, Elena helps protect his career from a television release and searches for his next role. Warren and Reade connect her to the production of Rogue's Gallery.
4. Marriage Under Pressure — Elena discovers Randy with Andrew and leaves him after a painful revelation. Randy's suicide attempt brings her back temporarily, but the marriage remains unstable.
5. A Role Bought at a Price — Henry rejects Randy, so Elena seduces him to secure the lead in Rogue's Gallery. She gives Randy the news and then ends their marriage before beginning a new life with Reade.