I do take my work seriously and the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously.
Interpretation
One should be dedicated to their work while maintaining a lighthearted perspective on themselves.
This quote emphasizes the importance of balancing seriousness in one's work with a sense of humor and humility about oneself. Alan Rickman suggests that taking work seriously doesn't require one to have an overly serious demeanor, and that a light approach can enhance creativity and enjoyment in the process.
In practice
In a speech about workplace culture, I referenced this quote to highlight the importance of maintaining a fun environment.
Film has to be reflecting the world that we live in, and that's all you want to be a part of. Actors inhabit the same planet as everyone else. It's a weird thing that happens when you're an actor because people hold you up because you somehow embody in parts groups of people or people's hopes or something.
You can act truthfully or you can lie. You can reveal things about yourself or you can hide. Therefore, the audience recognizes something about themselves or they don't -- You hope they don't leave the theatre thinking that was nice...now where's the cab?'
I'm a lot less serious than people think, it's probably because the way my face is put together.
Those of you who are not aware of my brilliant career as a stand up comic, I'm not aware of it either so we might well wonder what we're doing here.
Acting is mostly about listening. If you just focus in on what the other person is saying, acting takes care of itself to quite a large extent.
When I am asked about influences, I always say I bow down to Fred Astaire, because when you look at him dancing you never look at his extremities, do you? You look at his centre. What you never see is the hours of work that went into the routines, you just see the breathtaking spirit and freedom.
We ought all to make an effort to act on our first thoughts and let our unspoken gratitude find expression. Then there will be more sunshine in the world, and more power to work for what is good.
Failure is information-we label it failure, but it's more like, 'This didn't work, I'm a problem solver, and I'll try something else.'
There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming.
Look, he said to his imagination, if this is how you're going to behave, I shan't bring you again.
I was lucky to learn early in life that you need money for food and shelter, but there's no ambition in having money in the bank for the sake of it!
I got a fortune cookie that said, "To remember is to understand." I have never forgotten it. A good judge remembers what it was like to be a lawyer. A good editor remembers being a writer. A good parent remembers what it was like to be a child.
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