Screenplay data
Truman Burbank lives an idyllic life, unaware it's a reality show orchestrated by Christof, but strange occurrences make him suspect his world is not real. His suspicions intensify after encountering his supposedly deceased father and a former love interest, Sylvia, leading him to attempt escape despite elaborate obstacles. After confronting his wife and realizing the truth, Truman embarks on a perilous boat journey across an artificial ocean, battling a manufactured storm. Truman reaches the edge of his world, finds a door to the outside, and despite Christof's pleas, chooses freedom, reuniting with Sylvia.
Save the Cat beat sheet
Truman Burbank grows up inside a meticulously crafted reality television set, unaware that his every move is broadcast.
Open full beat sheetTruman Burbank is listed as Protagonist. 34-year-old man, thinning hair, soft physique, insurance salesman, unaware he is the star of a reality show. In the parsed data, Truman Burbank is connected to 111 scenes, 151 dialogue lines, 152 text mentions, first appearing around scene 4.
111 scenes / 151 dialogue linesChristof is listed as Antagonist. Late 60s, white hair, creator and producer of The Truman Show, watches Truman from a control room. In the parsed data, Christof is connected to 50 scenes, 99 dialogue lines, 99 text mentions, first appearing around scene 12.
50 scenes / 99 dialogue linesMeryl Burbank is listed as Truman's Wife. Early 30s, petite, actress playing Truman's wife. In the parsed data, Meryl Burbank is connected to 24 scenes, 22 dialogue lines, 22 text mentions, first appearing around scene 23.
24 scenes / 22 dialogue linesChloe is listed as Production Assistant. 20s, androgynous, Christof's assistant. In the parsed data, Chloe is connected to 23 scenes, 8 dialogue lines, 8 text mentions, first appearing around scene 81.
23 scenes / 8 dialogue linesSimeon is listed as Production Crew. Young man, meticulous, coordinates camera angles. In the parsed data, Simeon is connected to 21 scenes, 11 dialogue lines, 11 text mentions, first appearing around scene 135.
21 scenes / 11 dialogue linesMarlon is listed as Truman's Best Friend. 32-year-old, big physique, actor playing Truman's best friend. In the parsed data, Marlon is connected to 18 scenes, 19 dialogue lines, 32 text mentions, first appearing around scene 36.
18 scenes / 19 dialogue linesSylvia Powers is listed as Love Interest. Former classmate, the only person who tried to tell Truman the truth. In the parsed data, Sylvia Powers is connected to 12 scenes, 1 text mention, first appearing around scene 47.
12 scenes / 0 dialogue linesVivien is listed as Actress. New actress cast to play an insurance adjuster to seduce Truman. In the parsed data, Vivien is connected to 11 scenes, 11 dialogue lines, 16 text mentions, first appearing around scene 51.
11 scenes / 11 dialogue linesLawrence is listed as Truman's Supervisor. Younger than Truman, sharp suit, insurance company supervisor. In the parsed data, Lawrence is connected to 8 scenes, 6 dialogue lines, 9 text mentions, first appearing around scene 14.
8 scenes / 6 dialogue linesKirk Burbank is listed as Truman's Father. Late 60s, actor playing Truman's father, previously written out of the show. In the parsed data, Kirk Burbank is connected to 7 scenes, 6 dialogue lines, 6 text mentions, first appearing around scene 5.
7 scenes / 6 dialogue linesA fetus is observed in the womb.
A baby is born and shown on a television screen.
Truman cries in his car and witnesses a light fixture fall from the sky.
Truman BurbankTruman drinks in his car and remembers a childhood event.
Truman BurbankFlashback to young Truman and his father on the beach.
Truman Burbank, Kirk BurbankTruman steals a page from a magazine and looks at his reflection.
Truman BurbankFlashback to young Truman in school discussing his future.
Truman BurbankTruman enters his office building.
Truman BurbankTruman makes insurance calls and tries to find Sylvia Powers.
Truman BurbankTruman buys lunch and is shown a picture of a ship.
Truman BurbankTruman eats lunch and reads a book.
Truman BurbankChristof watches Truman on a monitor.
Christof, ChloePeople wait for a phone call.
Truman is assigned a task by his supervisor.
Truman Burbank, LawrenceTruman has a panic attack and leaves.
Truman BurbankTruman rides the subway.
Truman BurbankTruman crosses the bridge with his eyes closed.
Truman BurbankTruman arrives at the condominium.
Truman BurbankTruman misses his appointment.
Truman BurbankTruman witnesses a staged assault.
Truman BurbankThe youths and the woman reveal the assault was staged.
Truman returns home to Meryl.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankTruman and Meryl talk in the kitchen.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankTruman and Marlon play golf and talk about leaving.
Truman Burbank, MarlonTruman and Marlon finish their golf game.
Truman Burbank, MarlonTruman visits the jetty and records the surf.
Truman BurbankChristof watches Truman.
ChristofTruman and Meryl argue about his travel plans.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankGuards discuss Truman.
Truman looks at his sleeping wife.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankTwo guards discuss the possibility of Truman having a child.
Truman discovers his bed is a waterbed, triggering a memory of his father's accident.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankFlashback to seven-year-old Truman witnessing his father's disappearance at sea.
Truman Burbank, Kirk BurbankTwo old women discuss Truman's psychological state regarding his father.
Truman encounters a homeless man who looks like his father, leading to a chase.
Truman Burbank, Kirk BurbankTruman and Marlon search for the bus, but it is missing.
Truman Burbank, MarlonTruman and Marlon discuss the events while sitting in a van.
Truman Burbank, MarlonTruman confronts his sister about his father, but is dismissed.
Truman BurbankChristof observes the cleanup of the actor playing Truman's father.
Christof, Kirk Burbank, ChloeTruman hides a cardigan belonging to Sylvia.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankTruman repairs his car aerial.
Truman BurbankTruman hears his own movements described on the radio.
Truman BurbankTruman notices a bystander checking his ear.
Truman BurbankTruman picks up a prostitute named Veronica.
Truman Burbank, VivienVeronica wears Sylvia's cardigan.
Truman Burbank, VivienChristof watches Truman and Veronica from a tower.
Truman Burbank, Christof, Chloe, VivienSeventeen-year-old Truman creates a composite picture of Sylvia using magazine cutouts.
Truman Burbank, Sylvia PowersFlashback to Truman's youth where he is discouraged from going to Australia by his sister.
Truman Burbank, Christof, Kirk BurbankTruman examines the hidden composite of Sylvia inside his wife's photo frame.
Truman Burbank, Meryl Burbank, Sylvia PowersSylvia finds a newspaper clipping about Truman's fate.
Truman Burbank, Sylvia PowersA waitress discusses Sylvia's motivations with a barman.
Truman hears children's voices and runs into the school.
Truman BurbankTruman discovers the school is empty and using recorded audio.
Truman BurbankTruman investigates a mirrored office building.
Truman BurbankTruman breaks into the office building and discovers it is a hollow shell.
Truman BurbankTruman is ejected from the building and tries to enter another.
Truman BurbankTruman is confronted by his supervisor Lawrence.
Truman Burbank, Christof, Chloe, LawrenceTruman climbs over a desk being moved in the stairwell.
Truman BurbankTruman paces on a subway platform.
Truman BurbankTruman sits in a traffic jam.
Truman BurbankTruman questions a boy about a fire.
Truman BurbankTruman wanders through the park.
Truman BurbankTruman walks through traffic and sees his own face on a store TV.
Truman BurbankChristof and his crew monitor Truman.
Christof, Chloe, SimeonTruman observes people at a cafe.
Truman BurbankChristof watches Truman via a hidden camera in his ring.
Truman Burbank, ChristofTruman confronts a jogger he recognizes.
Truman BurbankTruman talks to Marlon about his suspicions.
Truman Burbank, MarlonChristof discusses Truman's behavior with executives.
Christof, Chloe, SimeonTruman runs down the beach.
Truman BurbankTruman and Marlon talk on the clifftop.
Truman Burbank, MarlonSylvia finds the Time magazine with Truman on the cover.
Truman Burbank, Sylvia PowersTruman and Meryl watch TV.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankChristof watches Truman on a monitor while eating.
Christof, ChloeTruman sees a travel commercial and checks his hidden money.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankChristof discusses Truman's night with Chloe.
Christof, ChloeTruman and Meryl talk before leaving.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankTruman observes Meryl in court.
Truman Burbank, Meryl BurbankTruman attempts to book a flight to Australia.
Truman Burbank, VivienTruman attempts to book a flight to Australia at a travel agency, facing resistance and suspicious behavior from the agent.
Truman Burbank, VivienYou know what was really strange about today? An old woman with a little dog and a businessman, walking in opposite directions on the sidewalk, both react like clockwork. They force him onto a bus against his will, a bus that doesn't normally stop outside my building. And when I'm giving chase, the bus never makes another stop and I get the feeling that the traffic and the pedestrians are working together to make sure I never catch up with it.
I know things haven't worked out for either of us like we used to sit up on Freemont Street all night and dream they would. We all let opportunities pass us by, none of us asks for the dance as often as we should. I know that feeling when it's like everything's slipping away and you don't want to believe it so you look for answers someplace else. But, well, the point is, I would gladly step in front of traffic for you.
We've become increasingly frustrated watching actors give us phony emotions, bored with pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts. no cue cards. It's not always Shakespeare but it's genuine. That's how he can support an entire channel.
The sponsors are threatening to pull the plug if we don't make a statement within the next hour. The media is in a feeding frenzy. The phone lines are jammed. Every network has a pirated shot of Harlon and the dummy.
You want to be an explorer? You mean like all the other great explorers from Queens? You don't even have a passport, Truman. I bet you don't even know how to get one.
I was in the bank today. The Federal on Lewis. A clerk was talking about somebody named Truman messing with her baby. Is that the stranger you're talking about?
And the last thing I'd ever do is lie to you. Think about it, Truman, if everybody's in on it, I'd have to be in on it too. I'm not in on it cos there is no it.
...nice...nice...I like the woman with the dog... let's keep it moving...I want that traffic kept together...everybody look like you've got places to go...
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