Simon Gray

Simon Gray

Simon Gray is one of the principal characters of The Expressionists and Elliot Cross's closest friend.

Shorter and more broadly built than Elliot, with short brown hair and brown eyes, Simon is the kind of person who is extremely easy to overlook.

He is perfectly comfortable with that.

Simon is quiet, intelligent, observant, and highly analytical. He rarely speaks simply because there is silence to fill, and he has almost no interest in convincing strangers that he is smarter or more capable than they assume.

If someone underestimates him, Simon generally sees no reason to correct them.

In many cases, he prefers it.

He watches people carefully, listens to what is happening around him, and tends to understand considerably more than he lets on. When Simon does speak around people he isn't close to, there is usually a reason for it. He may be answering a question in class, pointing out something important, explaining a plan, correcting a mistake that actually matters, or contributing information that is useful to the people around him.

Around his friends, however, Simon is noticeably different.

He talks more, relaxes considerably, participates in conversations, and allows much more of his personality to show. Elliot in particular knows a version of Simon that most people never see.

Simon does not dislike people.

He simply does not feel the need to perform for them.

Intelligence

Simon is one of the most naturally intelligent members of the main cast.

His strength is not simply academic knowledge. He is exceptionally good at observation, analysis, and understanding how different pieces of a situation interact.

During training and combat, Simon often functions as an analyst for the group. He notices patterns, weaknesses, environmental advantages, and possibilities that other people miss.

He is frequently better at understanding what someone else should do than immediately acting himself.

This makes Simon particularly useful when working alongside Elliot. Elliot is highly creative and instinctive, while Simon is able to observe a problem, break it apart, and recognize possibilities Elliot can then exploit.

Simon is also extremely comfortable allowing his intelligence to go unnoticed.

He does not need the highest grade, the most attention, or recognition for being correct.

In fact, Simon has spent a significant portion of his life intentionally doing less than he is capable of.

Family

Simon comes from a large and loving family in Marble Falls.

His father, Daniel Gray, is a legendary former war veteran and an extraordinarily powerful Expressionist who has lived for well over a century. Daniel later settled into life on the family's ranch and remains an imposing figure both because of his history and his abilities.

His mother, Sharon Gray, has also lived far beyond an ordinary human lifespan.

Unlike several members of the main cast, Simon did not grow up in an abusive or unstable home. His family loves him.

That does not mean his relationship with them is uncomplicated.

Growing up surrounded by a large family—and beneath the shadow of people with enormous histories and accomplishments—left Simon with the persistent feeling that it was very easy for him to disappear into the background.

That experience helped shape one of his deepest insecurities:

If people don't need him, then he doesn't matter.

Simon rarely expresses that belief openly.

Instead, it manifests in the way he approaches expectations.

He intentionally underachieves.

If people do not expect very much from him, then there is very little pressure to prove himself. Being considered lazy, average, or unremarkable is considerably safer than demonstrating everything he is capable of and suddenly being expected to live up to it indefinitely.

That behavior can easily be mistaken for a lack of ambition.

It isn't.

Simon is capable of significantly more than he initially allows most people to see.

Elliot Cross

Elliot is Simon's closest friend and one of the few people around whom Simon is completely comfortable.

Their relationship goes back years before the beginning of the series, and Elliot's connection to the Gray family means that their friendship extends well beyond simply attending the same university.

Simon understands Elliot unusually well.

He knows when Elliot is actually angry, when he is afraid, when he is about to make a terrible decision, and when attempting to stop him is probably pointless.

Likewise, Elliot is one of the people who understands that Simon's apparent lack of effort does not reflect a lack of intelligence.

Their friendship does not require either of them to constantly explain themselves.

Simon frequently acts as the analytical half of the pair, recognizing problems and possibilities while Elliot finds increasingly unconventional ways to act on them.

Naomi Hayes

Naomi becomes Simon's primary romantic relationship over the course of the series.

Their relationship does not begin as an immediate, sweeping romance.

Naomi initially approaches dating with an unusually structured mentality. Entering college, she has created an internal idea of what her college life is supposed to include, and finding a romantic partner is one item on that list.

Simon initially registers to her as, essentially, a suitable mate.

What begins from that strangely practical perspective gradually becomes something neither of them can reduce to a checklist.

Simon is not someone who aggressively pursues attention, and he does not suddenly transform into a different person around Naomi. Their relationship develops through time spent together, observation, familiarity, and the gradual realization that they genuinely enjoy and value one another.

This relationship is particularly important for Simon because being chosen matters enormously to him.

Simon has spent much of his life feeling as though he can disappear into the background without anyone particularly noticing. As Naomi's interest becomes genuine rather than simply part of a plan she created for herself, that has a much deeper effect on him than he initially knows how to express.

He becomes increasingly comfortable allowing himself to be known rather than simply useful.

Their relationship should therefore feel like something that develops naturally over time rather than two characters who immediately behave like an established couple.

Expressions

Simon possesses two major elemental Expressions:

Hydrokinesis

Simon can manipulate water, controlling its movement and using it offensively, defensively, and creatively depending on the environment.

Pyrokinesis

Simon can also generate and manipulate fire.

Importantly, possessing pyrokinesis does not make Simon immune to fire.

He must remain aware of where his flames are moving and how they may affect both himself and the people around him.

Simon's abilities give him considerable versatility, but his greatest advantage is often his ability to understand how and when to use them.

His fighting style should reflect the same intelligence that defines the rest of his personality.

He is rarely interested in producing the largest attack simply because he can.

Personality

Simon is generally:

• Quiet

• Highly intelligent

• Observant

• Analytical

• Patient

• Comfortable being underestimated

• Selective about when he speaks

• Relaxed around close friends

• Naturally capable but intentionally prone to underachieving

• More interested in usefulness than recognition

• Emotionally understated

• Extremely attentive to the people he cares about

Simon should not be portrayed as constantly sarcastic, smug, socially anxious, or awkward.

His silence is not because he is afraid to speak.

He simply does not believe every thought needs to be spoken.

When someone asks a question he knows the answer to, he may answer it directly. When he identifies something useful, he will contribute it. When there is nothing worth adding, he is entirely comfortable remaining quiet.

Performance Direction

Simon requires a more restrained performance than several members of the main cast.

The actor should be comfortable doing very little when very little is appropriate.

Simon should not constantly sound mysterious, bored, monotone, or emotionally detached. The challenge is allowing intelligence and observation to come through without exaggerating them.

His delivery is generally measured and deliberate.

When Simon answers a complicated question, he does not need to sound impressed with himself for knowing the answer.

When he recognizes something everyone else missed, he does not need to announce that he was smarter than them.

He simply explains it.

The largest contrast should come from scenes involving people he genuinely trusts.

Around Elliot and the rest of his close friends, Simon becomes considerably more conversational and comfortable. His responses become quicker, he participates more freely, and there should be a noticeable sense that the audience is hearing the person behind the reserved public version of him.

His relationship with Naomi will also require gradually increasing emotional openness as the series progresses.

Simon is not someone who delivers enormous emotional speeches every time he feels something strongly. His more vulnerable scenes should often feel like someone carefully deciding to say something that he normally would have kept to himself.

Voice

There is no strict accent requirement.

We are looking for a natural young-adult male voice capable of convincingly portraying someone around eighteen years old.

A medium or medium-low register would fit Simon well, although acting ability is considerably more important than exact pitch.

The ideal voice should be able to sound:

• Calm and thoughtful

• Intelligent without sounding arrogant

• Quiet without sounding timid

• Direct when explaining something

• Comfortable and noticeably more animated around friends

• Focused during combat

• Emotionally restrained during serious scenes

• Genuinely vulnerable when Simon finally allows himself to say what he is feeling

Avoid an exaggerated "genius" performance.

Simon should not sound like he is constantly demonstrating how intelligent he is.

The intelligence should come from what he notices and what he says, not from putting on an affected voice.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for an actor who understands restraint.

Simon may initially appear easier to portray than louder or more emotionally expressive characters, but much of his characterization depends on subtle differences in delivery.

The actor needs to make a distinction between Simon being quiet because he has nothing worth saying, Simon carefully observing someone, Simon explaining something he understands, Simon relaxing around his friends, and Simon deliberately withholding something emotionally important.

Those moments should not all sound the same.

As the story progresses, Simon is given increasingly emotional material, particularly involving his friends, his family, his own sense of worth, and his relationship with Naomi.

The ideal actor should therefore be capable of maintaining Simon's understated personality while still delivering powerful emotional performances when the character finally allows those emotions to surface.

Compensation

Simon Gray is one of the seven principal cast roles and is allocated 1% of total distributable project revenue under the project's contractual revenue-share system.

This is an individual percentage and is not divided with the other principal cast members.

Full royalty, accounting, payment, and contract terms are available in the project's Payment & Contract Details section.

All selected contributors will be required to sign a written agreement before beginning official production work.