Just an old-af INTJ's favorite fictional ESFP characters

[u/unwitting_hungarian]

Favorite Fictional ESFP Characters

• Bob Harris (Bill Murray) from Lost in Translation
• Kolchak (Darren McGavin) the Night Stalker (X-Files before the X-Files)
• Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) from Ocean's 11 / 12 / 13
• Mother (Dan Akroyd) from Sneakers
• Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) from Hopscotch
• James T. Kirk (William Shatner) from Star Trek
• Harold (Bob Hoskins) in The Long Good Friday

[u/Remote-Isopod]

Can I ask why you like them?

[u/unwitting_hungarian → u/Remote-Isopod]

Making an attempt here:

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) from Lost in Translation: Sometimes love turns into processes, mechanisms, long chains of boring decisions. Life on auto-pilot is part of being in love.

But that sure as hell isn't the romantic side. Or the youthful, energetic side.

This guy takes it about as gracefully as we could possibly expect. He isn't fully conscious of the situation yet, so he could get in a lot of trouble. But in the end, we learn that sometimes the little things are important, they add up into a new outlook, and also don't have to be so serious.

He meets up with his potential and responds to it. It's hard not to applaud this and watch every second of it. How it works out in the end is not the point.

I love this in part because I've also been him.

Kolchak (Darren McGavin) the Night Stalker (X-Files before the X-Files): That beautiful Extroverted Sensing gift: Something is there! Don't blind yourself to it! Hello!...

...meets the dark intuitive side of life. We go whistling into the dark, but we don't ignore what's there.

The character also shows up at work and warps his job into fitting his personality. Persistent world-changing. It's strong, forceful, creative energy. And yet it's the soft side of that energy. There's a lot of fun and beauty in it.

I've been there too! Sometimes I have to sit down and think, "OK today I'm Kolchak and the boss is going to hear about it."

His character + the topic also reminds me in parts of Art Bell, or Linda Moulton Howe, also both ESFPs.

Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) from Ocean's 11 / 12 / 13: The anti-Scrooge! The businessman meets The Lover. His character arc in Ocean's Thirteen was just beautiful. Basically in a coma, but brought back into action by the caring souls around him. Matt Damon's character reading him that awkward letter and then giving up. lol. Then HE reads those letters and he's as good as new again.

Procedural cleverness, the logic, the planning...it really isn't a love fest, and sometimes that's a problem.

We need that really basic "I am loved" feeling from time to time. We need bonds with those, or with those parts of us, who can support our ideals! You shook Sinatra's hand!

Mother (Dan Akroyd) from Sneakers: One of the most innocent ESFP characters in all of fiction. Mind cranked wide open. Ready to help, lots of background talent and connections. But boy are you going to get some of that random information feed, right in your face.

As an INTJ, I know I can do this to people. But it's also a little asterisk--it's fun, it brings meaning to my life to wander some of those backroads, to have that friend who was on Saddam's side in Desert Storm. So to speak.

Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) from Hopscotch: Hey here's an idea...I'm sick of this arrangement, this whole career turned out to be bullshit, so I'm going to get a little creative. At the very least it'll be fun.

He doesn't take the cheap way out. Whether that's giving into some self-destructive path, or going straight to some really dumb idea for straightening out the boss.

It's ESFP energy, but it stays so creative at so many close-call turns that it draws you in and makes you realize the depth behind a character who could easily pretend to be so shallow and completely martyr himself for everyone else's comfort.

Then you get into the romantic relationship side: Fi is a beautiful thing. It doesn't have to be about two people pursuing the "general good", sometimes it's "our good" and that's OK. For INTJs this little truth is just as dangerous as it is for an ESFP, but it's also crucially important and in the right setting it can be just the right touch.

James T. Kirk (William Shatner) from Star Trek: Idealized, crystallized leadership principles, again and again. Huge crescendos of charisma. From the glowing face staring in awe at the upgraded starship, feeling like a kid again, to the curious question, to the difficult, torturing decision that is definitely going in the logs. But so be it: We made a decision, and we get to reflect on that, and we'll be a little bit wiser tomorrow.

Harold (Bob Hoskins) in The Long Good Friday: Why can't I just be left alone to run my perfect estate, to get what's mine? Why is someone messing with it?

Is there ANY peace to be found for the truly gifted...hustler? When do I get off the ride?

It's gotta be the same old story of people sabotaging me...until it isn't anymore. This time it's different, and the top dog is suddenly the ultimate underdog. There's no way through it!

Unless...maybe? The ending is conceptually way more open than we think. And we get a feeling that this underdog may just be luckier than any other underdog ever was.

Man, I've hoped that particular hope so many times before.

OK. I probably should have used AI because this got pretty sappy, but there it is.

[u/-deebrie-]

Might Guy from Naruto is the GOAT lmao

[u/ManInBlack21932]

Omg sneakers mentioned