Being a mime, Doug Jones, who has played all sorts of strange and unusual characters, is likely sharply aware of his body language as an actor and pays attention to a character’s walk, gestures, and head movements. Jones said that he had studied his character in terms of attitude, sense of humor, and line delivery, but allowed the actual physicality to grow from the necessities of the costume and makeup. He added:
“[Saru] kind of came about organically. You know, the script is always your starting point, but then you, the actor, take on other qualities. For example, Saru’s sarcastic sense of humor, or the way he visually reacts to people, like the movement of his eyes or the way he holds himself or walks. That all came about all by accident. The ‘Saru walk,’ which I hear is a popular part of the character, came about sixty seconds after putting on the costume, because of the way those boots kind of altered my posture.”
Jones admitted in the same interview that the fourth season of “Discovery” provided the unique character challenge of placing Saru — a timid character — in a position of authority. For that season, Saru was the captain of the U.S.S. Discovery, and Jones had to present a sensitive and soft-spoken character as possessed of command skills and resolute decision-making acumen. “Saru wanted to be the captain of a starship,” Jones said. “Doug Jones, not so much.”
One gets the impression that Jones is, like Saru, also soft-spoken and sensitive. It seems that Saru matches the actor’s personal sensibilities well. Perhaps that’s why Saru is such a dynamic character; he feels honest.