Play It As It Lays Character Analysis

Maria Wyeth

Maria Wyeth is a 31-year-old actress who is at a psychiatric facility to recover from a nervous breakdown. The novel chronicles what led up to her hospitalization, namely the events surrounding her separation from her… read analysis of Maria Wyeth

BZ

BZ is a producer for Carter’s films and Maria’s only genuine friend. He is gay but trapped in a loveless marriage with Helene because his mother, Carlotta, pays the couple to stay… read analysis of BZ

Carter Lang

Carter Lang is Maria’s estranged film director husband. In the early days of their relationship, Maria starred in two of Carter’s films, Angel Beach and Maria. Various infidelities and Maria’s erratic behavior lead… read analysis of Carter Lang

Helene

Helene is BZ’s wife. She is part of Maria’s social circle because BZ is a producer on Carter’s films. Helene is attractive, vain, and twice divorced. Her marriage to BZ is a… read analysis of Helene

Kate Lang

Kate is Maria and Carter’s four-year-old daughter. She was born with an unspecified illness that predisposes her to emotional outbursts and other ailments, and this leads Carter to have her institutionalized. Carter uses Kate… read analysis of Kate Lang

Benny Austin

Benny Austin is Harry Wyeth’s former business partner and Maria’s godfather. Maria associates Benny with “as it was,” with her childhood years spent in the small desert town of Silver Wells, Nevada. She… read analysis of Benny Austin

Les Goodwin

Les Goodwin is a screenwriter. He is Maria’s former lover and likely the father of her aborted baby. In an attempt to distract herself from her aimless life and deteriorating mental health, Maria rekindles… read analysis of Les Goodwin

Ivan Costello

Ivan Costello is one of Maria’s former lovers. They had a relationship before she met Carter, when she was working as an actress and model in New York. Maria and Costello’s relationship was… read analysis of Ivan Costello

Francine Wyeth

Francine Wyeth was Maria’s mother who died in a car accident when Maria was only 19 years old. Francine suffered from depression, though this wasn’t obvious to Maria at the time. As an adult… read analysis of Francine Wyeth

Harry Wyeth

Harry Wyeth is Maria’s father who died shortly after his wife, Francine Wyeth. Harry was entrepreneurial and optimistic, though none of his business ventures in Silver Wells, Nevada saw much success, because a… read analysis of Harry Wyeth

Freddy Chaikin

Freddy Chaikin is Maria’s agent. He is surprised when she inquires about work, since her last job ended abruptly when an argument caused her to walk off set. Freddy eventually promises Maria some television… read analysis of Freddy Chaikin

The Man in White

The man in white is the man with whom Maria corresponds over the phone to make arrangements for her illegal abortion. He meets Maria in a parking lot, and they drive together in Maria’s car… read analysis of The Man in White

The Doctor

The doctor is the man who performs Maria’s illegal abortion. He is cold, impatient, and insensitive toward Maria, seemingly more concerned about the neighbors hearing her screams and catching wind of his illicit business… read analysis of The Doctor

Susannah Wood

Susannah Wood is the lead actress in Carter’s latest film. Carter has an affair with Susannah after he and Maria finalize their divorce, even though he and Maria maintain sporadic contact, and even though… read analysis of Susannah Wood

Johnny Waters/The Actor

Johnny Waters is a pompous actor Maria has sex with after a party. She refers to him only as “the actor” during their interactions, since she doesn’t know his name. Waters, in turn, mishears Maria’s… read analysis of Johnny Waters/The Actor

Harrison Porter

Harrison Porter is the lead actor in Carter’s latest film. He assaults the film’s lead actress, Susannah Wood, in a Las Vegas motel room. Maria initially thinks it was Carter who assaulted Susannah… read analysis of Harrison Porter

The Masseur

The masseur is a gay male friend of BZ’s. He complains dramatically about the artificial lemon juice in BZ’s refrigerator while Maria is sunbathing outside BZ’s house one afternoon. Maria realizes that she first… read analysis of The Masseur

Ceci Delano

Ceci Delano is a model Maria worked with on a shoot in Ocho Rios many years ago. Ceci had told Maria a humorous story about a New York District Attorney arranging for her to have… read analysis of Ceci Delano

Larry Kulik

Larry Kulik is a wealthy, well-connected lawyer “for gangsters,” according to Maria. He’s a womanizer who is superficially attracted to—but does not appear to respect—Maria. Larry repeatedly tries to pursue Maria, who eventually agrees… read analysis of Larry Kulik

Jeanelle

Jeanelle is a young, vapid woman who ends up hanging around BZ and Helene’s house one day. She babbles nonsensically, and everyone wishes they could get rid of her. People like Jeanelle, interested in… read analysis of Jeanelle

Minor Characters

Carlotta

Carlotta is BZ’s wealthy, loathsome mother who pays for Helene to stay married to BZ to conceal his homosexuality. She has a victim complex and is perpetually engaged in legal battles with her estranged husband.

The Hypnotist

Maria visits a hypnotist who contacts her through the studio that produced Angel Beach. Over the course of several sessions, the hypnotist tries to get Maria to delve into her past, but Maria resists and ultimately stops seeing him.

Leonard

Leonard is Helene’s hairdresser. Helene breaks down crying when she tells Maria that Leonard is going to be out of town in New York for 10 days, which makes her “frightened.”

Tommy Loew

Tommy Loew is a man who works in the film industry and is based in New York. He accompanies BZ to a party, which makes Maria wonder whether he and BZ are intimately involved.

Felicia Goodwin

Felicia Goodwin is Les Goodwin’s wife. Felicia appears not to know about—or chooses to ignore—Les’s affair with Maria, and Les has no intentions of leaving her for Maria.

The Young Agent

The young agent is sent from Freddy Chaikin’s office to accompany Maria to speak to a director about a potential job. The agent shocks Maria when he tells her that it’s the director’s girlfriend—not Maria—who is being considered for the lead role.

Paulette

Paulette ran the Wyeths’ restaurant in Silver Wells, though the establishment never had any customers. As an adult, Maria realizes that Paulette was having an affair with Harry Wyeth, Maria’s father.

Allene Walsh

Allene Walsh is a woman Helene knows. When Maria and Helene see Allene eating with Sharon Carroll at the Bistro, Helene insinuates that Allene and Sharon are having a lesbian affair.

Sharon Carroll

Sharon Carroll is an actress Maria worked with years ago. Maria and Helene spot Sharon eating with Allene Walsh at the Bistro, and Helene giddily insinuates that the women are having a lesbian affair.

Cuban Woman

Maria runs into a Cuban woman in the ladies’ room at the Flamingo. They cross paths again later that night at a party in Larry Kulik’s hotel suite, though the woman shows no sign of recognizing Maria.

Anita Garson

Anita Garson is a woman whose house party Maria reluctantly attends with BZ.

Play It As It Lays Characters