Guy Trilby (played by Jason Bateman) is a protagonist in Bad Words.
Guy Trilby is a forty-year-old misanthrope who exploits a loophole allowing eighth-grade dropouts to enter the Golden Quill Spelling Bee. He advances to the national competition while humiliating parents and staff, seeking revenge against his estranged father, Dr. Bowman, before ultimately sacrificing victory to help Chaitanya. Jenny Widgeon (played by Kathryn Hahn) is a protagonist in Bad Words.
Jenny Widgeon is a journalist who accompanies Guy Trilby after recognizing the story value of his unusual spelling-bee participation. While researching his background, she discovers that Dr. Bowman is Guy's father and reveals this connection to Guy, helping expose the personal motive behind his destructive behavior. Chaitanya Chopra (played by Rohan Chand) appears in Bad Words.
Chaitanya Chopra is a ten-year-old spelling-bee entrant who persistently tries to befriend Guy Trilby. Guy introduces him to reckless adult behavior, but their friendship collapses after both sabotage each other. In the final contest, Chaitanya becomes the winner and names Guy co-winner after recognizing their bond. Dr. Bernice Deagan (played by Allison Janney) appears in Bad Words.
Dr. Bernice Deagan directs the national spelling bee and strongly opposes Guy Trilby's participation. She arranges for him to stay in a storage closet rather than a normal room and tampers with the word list by assigning him the most difficult words, but Guy continues spelling them successfully and intensifies her frustration.
Bad Words (2013) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Guy Trilby
(played by Jason Bateman) — protagonist
Guy Trilby is a forty-year-old misanthrope who exploits a loophole allowing eighth-grade dropouts to enter the Golden Quill Spelling Bee. He advances to the national competition while humiliating pare...
Jenny Widgeon
(played by Kathryn Hahn) — protagonist
Jenny Widgeon is a journalist who accompanies Guy Trilby after recognizing the story value of his unusual spelling-bee participation. While researching his background, she discovers that Dr. Bowman is...
Chaitanya Chopra
(played by Rohan Chand) — supporting
Chaitanya Chopra is a ten-year-old spelling-bee entrant who persistently tries to befriend Guy Trilby. Guy introduces him to reckless adult behavior, but their friendship collapses after both sabotage...
Dr. Bernice Deagan
(played by Allison Janney) — supporting
Dr. Bernice Deagan directs the national spelling bee and strongly opposes Guy Trilby's participation. She arranges for him to stay in a storage closet rather than a normal room and tampers with the wo...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Guy Trilby → Dr. Bernice Deagan
(Professional Contestant Administrator)
Dr. Deagan directs the spelling bee while Guy enters as an adult contestant and proceeds through the competition.
Guy Trilby → Jenny Widgeon
(Professional Journalistic Subject)
Jenny accompanies Guy to the national spelling bee because she hopes to turn his participation into a story.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
