Arthur

Arthur’s official role among the extractors is the “point man.” He’s the one who scopes out everything there is to know about their current mark: where they’ll be, how they can get access to them, and what pressure points and conflicts to revolve the plan around. In the dreaming, he’s thought of as sophisticated and elegant, but generally unimaginative, barring him from creating any “architecture” to populate the dream.

However, calling Arthur unimaginative is not quite on the mark. The more accurate statement is that Arthur’s particular fixations are on the nuts and bolts, making sure everything about the plan fits together. In the words of his own actor, “The way I see it...Arthur is the producer.” His coworkers, Ariadne, Eames, and Cobb are the ones who build impossible cathedrals and change shapes. While they’re enjoying the greatest mental playground, Arthur determinedly keeps one foot in reality, even as he’s taking a turn on the swings himself.

Like the dreams he travels, Arthur is very conscious of the layers. In his life and interactions and even in his clothes, Arthur is all about cultivating the right impression. He’s not a shapeshifting forger, but more like a chameleon who matches himself to the environment so that he may hide and observe in plain sight. This ability is also his preferred form of protection. Around people he trusts, like Cobb, he’s willing to wear his plain khakis, roll up his sleeves, and be himself. The more people who enter his world and the less he knows them, Arthur begins to put on armor in the form of tailored shirts, silk ties, and well-fitted waist coats and sweaters. His personal thoughts and feelings disappear into clean lines and inoffensive prints so that no one can imagine the dangerous mind beneath.