As an actor I am always waiting for my luck to run out.
Tom HanksRead
As a young man, even if I was going to see a play or a film by myself, I didn't feel like I was alone. There was something that was unfolding up there that brought me into it. And I recognised that. For those two hours, it made me feel like I belonged to something really good.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the idea that art can create a sense of belonging and connection, even when one is alone.
Tom Hanks reflects on the profound impact that films and plays have had on him as a young man. He describes how, even when attending alone, the experiences in the theater or cinema made him feel a part of something larger and meaningful, highlighting the communal aspect of storytelling and the emotional connections it fosters.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the impact of art on our lives during a film class.
As an actor I am always waiting for my luck to run out.
Even the simplest choice can make a jaw-dropping difference in our world.
My kid could get a bad X-ray and I could get a call from the doctor saying I have something growing in my bum and that would change my perspective on everything instantaneously, on what is and what is not important.
Back in World War II, we viewed the Japanese as 'yellow, slant-eyed dogs' that believed in different gods. They were out to kill us because our way of living was different. We, in turn, wanted to annihilate them because they were different. Does that sound familiar, by any chance, to what's going on today?
I think it's better to feel good than to look good.
If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.
If only life could be a little more tender and art a little more robust.
You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.
The number of flavors is infinite, for every soluble body has a peculiar flavor, like none other.
Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.
Our Euripides the human, With his droppings of warm tears, and his touchings of things common Till they rose to meet the spheres.
One of the interesting things an artist does is they keep rediscovering things, whether it's a jazz piece or a role you've done for 3,000 performances or a song you're singing for the 3,000th time. My job is to find that spark that keeps it fresh and alive.
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