Acting is different from stand-up. It gives you this ability to enter into another character, to create another person.
Interpretation
Acting allows individuals to embody different characters and explore diverse identities.
In this quote, Robin Williams highlights the fundamental distinction between acting and stand-up comedy, emphasizing that acting provides the unique opportunity to immerse oneself in various personas. It encourages creativity and exploration of different facets of human experience, unlike stand-up which typically revolves around the comedian's personal perspective and point of view.
In practice
During a drama workshop, I quoted Robin Williams to emphasize the transformative power of acting.
It's that idea that you can have one drink - and no you can't. Within a week I was drinking heavily. It was so quick that even I was like, 'Wow.' Because you have that initial warm feeling going, 'Oh, I remember this'. And your body does, too. And your body goes, 'Yeah, so do I'. Then the demon voice comes, 'Yeah, so do I. You know what would be great? You know we bought a little bottle before? A full bottle would be wonderful'.
I always thought the idea of education was to learn to think for yourself.
Sometimes over things that I did, movies that didn't turn out very well - you go, 'Why did you do that?' But in the end, I can't regret them because I met amazing people. There was always something that was worth it.
I've never been asked to appear on 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!,' so I guess I mustn't be on the professional skids just yet.
The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying, 'Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and yelling, 'You want a piece of me?'
I write on big yellow legal pads - ideas in outline form when I'm doing stand-up and stuff. It's vivid that way. I can't type it into an iPad - I think that would put a filter into the process.
It's hard to write a good play because it's hard to structure a plot. If you can think of it off the top of your head, so can the audience.
I'm not responsible for my photographs. Photography is not documentary, but intuition, a poetic experience. It's drowning yourself, dissolving yourself, and then sniff, sniff, sniff - being sensitive to coincidence. You can't go looking for it; you can't want it, or you won't get it. First you must lose your self. Then it happens.
Racist writing is a craft failure.
Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I'm going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish
Language in fiction is made up of equal parts meaning and music. The sentences should have rhythm and cadence, they should engage and delight the inner ear.
I don't write because there's an audience. I write because there is literature.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.