--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember watching Meryl Streep in, The…" description: "\"I remember watching Meryl Streep in, The River Wild. There's this scene where she's has a gun pointed at her, it's absurd in a lot of ways. Someone pul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/jake-gyllenhaal-2014_absurd_i-remember-watching-meryl-streep-in-the_3178769.jpg" --- # I remember watching Meryl Streep in, The River Wild… ![“I remember watching Meryl Streep in, The River Wild. There's this scene where she's has a gun pointed at her, it's absurd in a lot of ways. Someone pulls a gun on her I think, I'm not really fully aware of the scene and she just, she starts, you see her terrified. And then all of a sudden she…” quote by Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/jake-gyllenhaal-2014_absurd_i-remember-watching-meryl-streep-in-the_3178769.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/jake-gyllenhaal-2014_absurd_i-remember-watching-meryl-streep-in-the_3178769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/jake-gyllenhaal-2014_absurd_i-remember-watching-meryl-streep-in-the_3178769.jpg) > “I remember watching Meryl Streep in, The River Wild. There's this scene where she's has a gun pointed at her, it's absurd in a lot of ways. Someone pulls a gun on her I think, I'm not really fully aware of the scene and she just, she starts, you see her terrified. And then all of a sudden she starts to burst out laughing. She starts laughing. Like she can't stop laughing. Because she's terrified and she's emotional and there are no rules to what you're supposed to feel. That to me is like A number one, that's the thing I have to remind myself all the time.” [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage highlights how extreme fear can trigger uncontrollable laughter, showing the mind’s paradoxical coping mechanisms. **In simple terms:** Fear can cause irrational laughter. Key Takeaway Recognize humor as a stress response. Themes psychology emotion coping film Mood anxious surprised hopeful Type observational insightful When to use this quote - Watching intense movies - Therapeutic laughter - Stressful situations Key Concepts Paradoxical response Stress relief Emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - Why does fear sometimes produce joy? - Can humor be a healthy defense? A Different Perspective Laughter may not always be appropriate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > ['The River Wild' was great, with Meryl Streep. That guy was really a bad dude who was ultimately sort of fundamentally impotent in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bacon/the-river-wild-was-great-with-meryl-streep-that-guy-was-really-a-bad/) [Kevin Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bacon/) > [I think that laughter is very close to terror and horror. Maybe that's just me, but that sort of all - over rush that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/i-think-that-laughter-is-very-close-to-terror-and-horror-maybe-that-s/) [Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/) > [“As I let go of the rope, a familar shot of pure joy surged through me at being part of the river, of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-i-let-go-of-the-rope-a-familar-shot-of-pure-joy-surged-through-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For as long as I can remember, my acting crush has been Meryl Streep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-zimmer/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-my-acting-crush-has-been-meryl-streep/) [Constance Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-zimmer/) > [I would love to have the honor to get to work with Meryl Streep. I love her and I love her work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailee-madison/i-would-love-to-have-the-honor-to-get-to-work-with-meryl-streep-i/) [Bailee Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailee-madison/) > [I would absolutely love to do something with Viola Davis or Meryl Streep. I just think both of those women fall so deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagan-tandy/i-would-absolutely-love-to-do-something-with-viola-davis-or-meryl/) [Meagan Tandy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meagan-tandy/) > [Meryl Streep spoke about roles drying up. If that happened to her, can you imagine our plight? This is the reality of women performers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/meryl-streep-spoke-about-roles-drying-up-if-that-happened-to-her-can/) [Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/) > [As for actors, I'm hugely in awe of Cate Blanchett - and Meryl Streep, obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-dynevor/as-for-actors-i-m-hugely-in-awe-of-cate-blanchett-and-meryl-streep/) [Phoebe Dynevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-dynevor/) > [As an actress, I really love people like Anna Magnani and Debra Winger. I also think there is nobody better than Meryl Streep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/as-an-actress-i-really-love-people-like-anna-magnani-and-debra-winger/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [ Meryl \[Streep\] plays the me-ish character. I love Meryl. She's totally wonderful. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/meryl-streep-plays-the-me-ish-character-i-love-meryl-she-s-totally/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Meryl Streep is expert at only using the requisite amount of energy to express her character, not an ounce too little or too much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/meryl-streep-is-expert-at-only-using-the-requisite-amount-of-energy/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Meryl Streep belongs on anybody's list of greats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/meryl-streep-belongs-on-anybody-s-list-of-greats/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [The one person whom I would like to be is Meryl Streep. Even at her age, she sits alongside the younger heroines at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rani-mukerji/the-one-person-whom-i-would-like-to-be-is-meryl-streep-even-at-her/) [Rani Mukerji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rani-mukerji/) > [I'm not Meryl Streep. My God - she's the greatest actor that ever lived. It's sad that ordinary actors like me are compared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy-spacek/i-m-not-meryl-streep-my-god-she-s-the-greatest-actor-that-ever-lived/) [Sissy Spacek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy-spacek/) > [I would always cast Meryl Streep for everything. I would do with something inspired by the work of Guy Bourdin, my favorite photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-would-always-cast-meryl-streep-for-everything-i-would-do-with/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) ## More by Jake Gyllenhaal > [Hardest emotion? They're all pretty damn hard; I don't know really if there's one specifically, but I do think, I don't know what's happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/hardest-emotion-they-re-all-pretty-damn-hard-i-don-t-know-really-if/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [Every journey starts with fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/every-journey-starts-with-fear/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I've decided as an actor the only, the power I have really is in the performance. It's the only real place I get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-ve-decided-as-an-actor-the-only-the-power-i-have-really-is-in-the/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [You run your plays, you know your plays, you study your plays, you study the other team, you do as much as you can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/you-run-your-plays-you-know-your-plays-you-study-your-plays-you-study/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [Sometimes love is calm and easy and sometimes it's just plain dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/sometimes-love-is-calm-and-easy-and-sometimes-it-s-just-plain-dirty/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I don't think my approach to acting is all necessarily in service of the character. I think, selfishly, I've put it in service of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-don-t-think-my-approach-to-acting-is-all-necessarily-in-service-of/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I did a lot of background and research on 'End Of Watch,' and I definitely used certain skills that I learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-did-a-lot-of-background-and-research-on-end-of-watch-and-i/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I was working with Michael Shannon and I was like, "Oh man I'm having trouble with this scene." And he's like, "Well, then just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-was-working-with-michael-shannon-and-i-was-like-oh-man-i-m-having/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I understand the opposite side of the camera. I have a profound respect for that. I have worked with people who, when you hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-understand-the-opposite-side-of-the-camera-i-have-a-profound/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [To me I just, I'm a geek when it comes to cinematographers . And when it comes to Robert and when it comes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/to-me-i-just-i-m-a-geek-when-it-comes-to-cinematographers-and-when-it/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [ Heath \[Ledger\] was always somebody who I admired.He was way beyond his years as a human, in a way. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/heath-ledger-was-always-somebody-who-i-admired-he-was-way-beyond-his/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [I think, when someone say, "When did you feel like an actor?" it's those moments when I feel like, "I'm an actor, wow." That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-think-when-someone-say-when-did-you-feel-like-an-actor-it-s-those/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [Every man goes through a period of thinking they're attracted to another guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/every-man-goes-through-a-period-of-thinking-they-re-attracted-to/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [There are standards. I like to be prepared, I guess I should say - that type of pressure of, "All right, now you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/there-are-standards-i-like-to-be-prepared-i-guess-i-should-say-that/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [ We are all from different cultures. Heath's \[Ledger\] Australian, really. I'm from here. Ang's \[Lee\] from China. But I think Ang gets very close… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/we-are-all-from-different-cultures-heath-s-ledger-australian-really-i/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) [Explore all 191 Jake Gyllenhaal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember watching Meryl Streep in, The River Wild. There's this scene where she's has a gun pointed at her, it's absurd in a lot of ways. Someone pulls a gun on her I think, I'm not really fully aware of the scene and she just, she starts, you see her terrified. And then all of a sudden she starts to burst out laughing. She starts laughing. Like she can't stop laughing. Because she's terrified and she's emotional and there are no rules to what you're supposed to feel. 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