Having a character change during the course of the screenplay is not a requirement if it doesn’t fit your character. But transformation, change, seems to be an essential aspect of our humanity, especially at this time in our culture. I think we’re all a little like Melvin (Jack Nicholson) in As Good as It Gets (Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks). Melvin may be complex and fastidious as a person, but his dramatic need is expressed toward the end of the film when he says, “When I’m with you I want to be a better person.” I think we all want that. Change, transformation, is a constant of life, and if you can impel some kind of emotional change within your character, it creates an arc of behavior and adds another dimension to who he/she is. If you’re unclear about the character’s change, take the time to write an essay in a page or so, charting his or her emotional arc.