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?'
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the authenticity of acting and the connection between the performer and the audience's personal reflections.
In this quote, Alan Rickman discusses the essence of truthfulness in performance, suggesting that a genuine portrayal in acting allows the audience to connect deeply with their own experiences. The hope is that the audience leaves with a sense of introspection rather than merely enjoying a surface-level entertainment experience without further thought.
In practice
In a theater class, to inspire students about the importance of being genuine in their performances.
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.
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.
I'm always aware of the camera and it feels like that's the audience.
The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth.
Physicians of the utmost fame, Were called at once; but when they came They answered, as they took their fees, 'There is no Cure for this Disease.'
The more uncertain I have felt about myself, the more there has grown up in me a feeling of kinship with all things.
People with handicaps teach me that being is more important than doing, the heart is more important than the mind, and caring together is better than caring alone.
God is not troubled by one who is conservative or liberal, and He certainly never inclines His ear toward a donkey or an elephant.
Cares that have entered once in the breast, will have whole possession of the rest.
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