--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hardest thing for everyone, for the…" description: "\"The hardest thing for everyone, for the writer, for the director and certainly for the actors, is not to panic when they're doing a certain line for th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0d/ivan-reitman-15779_actors_the-hardest-thing-for-everyone-for-the-w_1021283.jpg" --- # The hardest thing for everyone, for the writer, for the… ![“The hardest thing for everyone, for the writer, for the director and certainly for the actors, is not to panic when they're doing a certain line for the tenth time because everything ceases to be funny after it's been repeated.” quote by Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0d/ivan-reitman-15779_actors_the-hardest-thing-for-everyone-for-the-w_1021283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0d/ivan-reitman-15779_actors_the-hardest-thing-for-everyone-for-the-w_1021283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0d/ivan-reitman-15779_actors_the-hardest-thing-for-everyone-for-the-w_1021283.jpg) > “The hardest thing for everyone, for the writer, for the director and certainly for the actors, is not to panic when they're doing a certain line for the tenth time because everything ceases to be funny after it's been repeated.” [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeatedly delivering the same line can strip its humor, so actors must stay present and avoid panic. **In simple terms:** Repetition can kill comedy; stay fresh. Key Takeaway Maintain focus and freshness in repeated scenes. Themes performance comedy repetition focus Mood practical insightful encouraging Type craft professional advice When to use this quote - film shoots - stage plays - rehearsals Key Concepts acting technique directorial guidance psychology of humor Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep humor alive after many takes? - What strategies prevent panic on set? A Different Perspective Audience may still find it funny despite actors' fatigue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Panic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panic/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [As far as I'm concerned, 'The Caretaker' is funny up to a point. Beyond that, it ceases to be funny, and it was because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-caretaker-is-funny-up-to-a-point-beyond/) [Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/) > [The difference between the first time I read something and the tenth time I read something is generally pretty profound. Even if the script…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/the-difference-between-the-first-time-i-read-something-and-the-tenth/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [That's about the 1000th and tenth time (I've been asked about my neck). It's OK. I'm been doing a little stuff. I got some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-marlin/that-s-about-the-1000th-and-tenth-time-i-ve-been-asked-about-my-neck/) [Sterling Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-marlin/) > [“Those boys. Nine times out of ten, they're wrong and the tenth time they made a lucky guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirn-hans/those-boys-nine-times-out-of-ten-they-re-wrong-and-the-tenth-time/) [Kirn Hans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirn-hans/) > [When you read over the same line for the tenth time, but still can't hold yourself from smiling..then you know you're in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-dawn/when-you-read-over-the-same-line-for-the-tenth-time-but-still-can-t/) [Anne Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-dawn/) > [Part of the writer's task is to recognize what he's done, then dive back in and make the connections clearer. I'm a strong believer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lubar/part-of-the-writer-s-task-is-to-recognize-what-he-s-done-then-dive/) [David Lubar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lubar/) > [“She repeated continually, "My God! my God!" But neither "God" nor "my" had any meaning to her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/she-repeated-continually-my-god-my-god-but-neither-god-nor-my-had-any/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Do not know, We have repeated these words many times in One life / But one day, we will be forced to Saying To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/do-not-know-we-have-repeated-these-words-many-times-in-one-life-but/) Mak\_786 > [“Repetition will be repeated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nightbits/repetition-will-be-repeated/) [NightBits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nightbits/) > [The truth was, history repeated itself on a daily basis; mistakes were made over and over. People were haunted by what they had done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-truth-was-history-repeated-itself-on-a-daily-basis-mistakes-were/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some blessings have been ours in the past, and these may be repeated or even multiplied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-howard-latimer/some-blessings-have-been-ours-in-the-past-and-these-may-be-repeated/) [Lewis Howard Latimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-howard-latimer/) > [What can be sustained and repeated without emptying out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-peacock/what-can-be-sustained-and-repeated-without-emptying-out/) [Jan Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-peacock/) > [I feel when you do something right, you are repeated in that kind of role over and over again. That happens to most actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/i-feel-when-you-do-something-right-you-are-repeated-in-that-kind-of/) [Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/) > [“Some adventures should never be repeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-l-hopper/some-adventures-should-never-be-repeated/) Mike L. Hopper > [“You loved me too?" he repeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/you-loved-me-too-he-repeated/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Ivan Reitman > [I remember when first, Stripes, and then Animal House came out - which I was really proud of, even though it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-remember-when-first-stripes-and-then-animal-house-came-out-which-i/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [It's sort of the most important thing for acting, is to listen to the person you're dealing with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/it-s-sort-of-the-most-important-thing-for-acting-is-to-listen-to-the/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [Much of romantic relationships today have to do when the people are not in the same room. Whether it’s texting or emailing or Facebooking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/much-of-romantic-relationships-today-have-to-do-when-the-people-are/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [My sense is, I think it's okay for directors to do movies that speak to other work in their career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/my-sense-is-i-think-it-s-okay-for-directors-to-do-movies-that-speak/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [We watch movies about all sorts of things that we don't know anything about, but we do get caught up in the human drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/we-watch-movies-about-all-sorts-of-things-that-we-don-t-know-anything/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [We got some devastating reviews on Animal House at the start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/we-got-some-devastating-reviews-on-animal-house-at-the-start/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I don't think there will be another Ghostbusters. I think we're all too old to do it. I think we've done it a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-don-t-think-there-will-be-another-ghostbusters-i-think-we-re-all/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I don't think my sense of humor has changed at all; I was born with this, for better or for worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-don-t-think-my-sense-of-humor-has-changed-at-all-i-was-born-with/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [Movies either work or they don't work and they're either funny or they're not and we work very hard. To achieve that kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/movies-either-work-or-they-don-t-work-and-they-re-either-funny-or/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I'd always been a science fiction enthusiast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-d-always-been-a-science-fiction-enthusiast/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [My first student film was Orientation, which was basically the set-up for Animal House. There are a couple of scenes that we later borrowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/my-first-student-film-was-orientation-which-was-basically-the-set-up/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I believe that improvisation is really just a directorial tool. It's a writing tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-believe-that-improvisation-is-really-just-a-directorial-tool-it-s-a/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I never like to do parodies. I never do. It's just not my style of comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-never-like-to-do-parodies-i-never-do-it-s-just-not-my-style-of/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I'm not sure I agree with the thesis, because I think that even though something grotesque or gross has been part of film since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-m-not-sure-i-agree-with-the-thesis-because-i-think-that-even-though/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) > [I think Junior is certainly a science fiction premise as is Twins, as is Dave, beyond Ghostbusters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-think-junior-is-certainly-a-science-fiction-premise-as-is-twins-as/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) [Explore all 42 Ivan Reitman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. 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And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. 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