Character Relationship Map: The Actor

Characters

• Paul Cole (played by André Holland) — protagonist

  Paul Cole is the central character, an actor who wakes after an accident with severe memory loss. Unable to remember his occupation, recent past, or identity, he travels east, tries to reconstruct his...

• Edna (played by Gemma Chan) — protagonist

  Edna meets Paul in Jeffords while he is attempting to rebuild his life after losing his memory. Their conversations become a source of comfort and possible romance, and she encourages him to see the m...

• May / Benny's Girl / Mattie / Rita / Karen / Lady (played by May Calamawy) — supporting

  Rita is involved in Paul's return to New York, where a confrontation connected with his former acquaintances escalates into violence and brings police sirens. Because Paul does not recognize the perso...

• Doctor Croft / Doctor Edgarton (played by Simon McBurney) — supporting

  Doctor Croft examines Paul after his memory loss and later proposes narco-analysis when medical examinations suggest that Paul's condition may be permanent. The procedure brings back fragments of Paul...

• Nick / Director (played by Joe Cole) — supporting

  Nick is one of Paul's former acquaintances in New York. When Paul returns during Christmas, Nick and others treat the memory loss as a joke and recount embarrassing stories about Paul's past, which Pa...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Paul Cole → Doctor Croft / Doctor Edgarton (Professional Doctor And Patient) — Doctor Croft examines Paul's condition and offers a treatment intended to recover memories.

  After medical examinations, Doctor Croft proposes narco-analysis to investigate Paul's memory loss.

• Paul Cole → Edna (Romantic Interest) — Edna offers Paul emotional comfort while he considers starting a new life.

  Paul meets Edna in Jeffords, and their conversations become a source of comfort and possible romance.

Story Dynamics

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

• Paul Cole → May / Benny's Girl / Mattie / Rita / Karen / Lady (Conflict Confrontation) — Rita becomes involved in a violent confrontation during Paul's return to New York.

  A confrontation involving Rita escalates into violence and police sirens after Paul reunites with people from his past.

• Paul Cole → Nick / Director (Social Former Acquaintances) — Nick is connected to Paul's former social and professional life.

  Paul returns to New York and reunites with Nick and former acquaintances, who remind him of stories from his past.

Story Analysis

A man without his memory tries to determine whether identity comes from his past, his relationships, or the roles he performs.

Plot Progression

1. A Stranger Without a Past — Paul is discovered in an apparent affair, suffers an accident, and wakes in a hospital without his memory. After being warned to leave town, he takes a bus east and repeats his address to recover his...
2. A Possible New Life — Paul begins rebuilding himself in Jeffords and meets Edna. Their growing comfort gives him the possibility of starting over, but his connection to acting remains unresolved.
3. The Past Turns Violent — Paul returns to New York during Christmas and reunites with Nick and former acquaintances. Their jokes about his past culminate in a confrontation involving Rita, followed by medical evidence that his...
4. Memory Beneath Sedation — Doctor Croft proposes narco-analysis, which produces fragments of Paul's childhood, a funeral, frightening dreams, and visions of Edna searching in darkness. The memories deepen rather than resolve hi...
5. The Camera and the Condemned — Paul returns to acting in a live television courtroom execution. During rehearsal, he struggles with the role of a condemned man and looks into the camera as the unresolved production prepares to go l...