To create a character who really interests you, try combining aspects of your favourite fictional character with a real person.

It was sort of an experiment to try to leave the violin. Can I be a real person without this thing? It was a big part of my identity.

If you write a story based on a real person, you're trapped by the details of the real person and his life. It gets in the way of writing your own story.

I'm not a real person. I'm a legend.

We, people, are so very, very complicated that no matter how well drawn a fictional character is, they can't get anywhere near as complex as a real person.

You can always tell a person's real character and personhood by those who closely surround him, especially if they're family.