| “ | Truman, listen to me! Everyone knows about-- everyone knows everything you do because they're pretending, Truman. Do you, Do you understand? Everybody's pretending! No no no, ah, my name's not Lauren! No no! My name's Sylvia! | „ |
| ~ Sylvia revealing to Truman the truth of his his false world. |
Sylvia, otherwise known as Lauren Garland, is the deuteragonist of the 1998 comedy-drama film The Truman Show.
She was an actress who was apart of the iconic television series of the same name, a 24/7 live series focusing on the daily lifestyle of the titular Truman Burbank. While every other actor in the series was fabricated and had manipulated Truman, who ironically, is the only person in the show who is genuine and unaware of the fabricated society around him, Sylvia would be the one who would reveal to Truman that everything and everyone in his world was falsified, leaving Truman confused and concerned for her. She was removed from the show as a result, though she still vouches for Truman's freedom, along with many other supporters of the movement. She is also Truman's love interest.
She was portrayed by Natascha McElhone.
Biography[]
Not much is known about Sylvia's past. She was an actress known for her portrayal of Lauren Garland on The Truman Show, a reality program documenting the life of Truman Burbank in the constructed town of Seahaven. The show's producers and its creator Christof orchestrate and monitor Truman's daily life.
Sylvia, or Lauren made her debut in one of the segments which involved Truman's final college days. However, none of the crew members would anticipate Truman and Sylvia's slow but genuine romantic attachment to each other. Before Truman was initially fawning over Lauren, Meryl, Truman's other "love interest" Meryl (played by Hannah Gill) intervened in an attempt to have Truman fawn over her, though it could be assumed that Hannah or Meryl did this assuming the crew's initial concern that Lauren was going to tell Truman the truth of his world.
One day, Truman was studying in the library before noticing Lauren by her bracelet, and would approach her and talk with her. The two exchange greetings though Lauren would mention that she isn't allowed to talk to Truman. Truman was initially confused by this and misunderstood this as he assumed that it was because him and Meryl were "dating" to which he cleared those allegations. Lauren proposed that the two would need to leave somewhere secluded for her and Truman to interact with each other.
Once the two exited the library and ran to the beach, they would share an intimate kiss before a station wagon intervened the scene. Panicked by what will happen, Sylvia desperately confesses to Truman that his world is fabricated and everyone around him are actors. An actor and presumed producer from the series exits the vehicle and drags Sylvia away by the man who asserts the role of being "Lauren's father". He lies to a panicked Truman by telling him that she is mentally-ill and she leads all her boyfriends on like this. He concludes the tense conversation by telling Truman that they are "moving to Fiji". This would be what began Truman's strong fixation with Fiji; for the purpose of reuniting with Lauren.
Though she was swiftly removed from the series and on set of the show, Sylvia remained determined to express her disgust and was vocal about her outrage with the series capitalizing off of Truman's entrapment. This resulted in her decision to join the "Free Truman" movement as a means to expose the truth. Her main anger was focused towards Christof because he was the creator of the show. During an interview segment with Christof, Sylvia called in and exposed Christof's abusive and delusional methods to keep the poor and unaware Truman entrapped in a soundstage against his will.
By this point, it was later discovered that Truman has escaped the town of Seahaven which was later broadcasted, even to Sylvia' viewing and satisfaction. After Truman and makes it to the stairs that lead him to the exit of Seahaven and presumably, the show altogether, a devastated Christof lies his head down, shocked by the outcome and reality that his own world has finally crumbled down for good once his star made his newfound freedom. Sylvia celebrated in pure joy and would swiftly exit her apartment to reunite with Truman and live a genuine and fulfilling life with him.
Personality[]
Amongst the manipulative actors on set who took advantage of Truman's reality, Sylvia was unique in terms of being real, compassionate, and sympathetic to Truman's tragic reality. Her dedication towards exposing the abusive and manipulative realism of the show was heavily emphasized to the point that she risked her career on the show to give Truman an inkling of truth. Sylvia is a compassionate, caring, and honest woman who was the only person in Truman's life who actually cared about him. This, in turn led to Truman's genuine love for her.
Appearance[]
Sylvia is a beautiful woman with dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. She usually wears jewelry accessories, most notable are her necklace and bracelets that Truman initially took notice to. She initially wore a red jacket that consisted of the pin reading, "How's it going to end?" which was a symbolic turning point for Truman's goal to escape his fictitious world.
Trivia[]
- Sylvia is the only character in the entire film to show Truman genuine care in anyway, shape or form, unlike the friends and loved ones that grew up with him his whole life.
- Ironically, Meryl, who would become Truman's "wife" never genuinely loved him, whereas Sylvia, an initially extra on the show before being removed, gave Truman a genuine connection that left him infatuated for her.
- Sylvia would be one of Natascha McElhone's earlier characters in the film.