--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had the feeling I had to stay focused…" description: "\"I had the feeling I had to stay focused on what's lying under. A big part of the story in Toni Erdmann happens on the sub-level. On the surface, a lot ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/maren-ade-42426_comedy_i-had-the-feeling-i-had-to-stay-focused_1913503.jpg" --- # I had the feeling I had to stay focused on what's lying… ![“I had the feeling I had to stay focused on what's lying under. A big part of the story in Toni Erdmann happens on the sub-level. On the surface, a lot of scenes, it's banal. If the actor starts thinking, "Oh, I'm in a genre, I'm doing a comedy, I'm doing funny things," then you lose.” quote by Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/maren-ade-42426_comedy_i-had-the-feeling-i-had-to-stay-focused_1913503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/maren-ade-42426_comedy_i-had-the-feeling-i-had-to-stay-focused_1913503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/maren-ade-42426_comedy_i-had-the-feeling-i-had-to-stay-focused_1913503.jpg) > “I had the feeling I had to stay focused on what's lying under. A big part of the story in Toni Erdmann happens on the sub-level. On the surface, a lot of scenes, it's banal. If the actor starts thinking, "Oh, I'm in a genre, I'm doing a comedy, I'm doing funny things," then you lose.” [Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-ade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True depth lies beneath the surface; focusing on superficial genre labels prevents authentic engagement with the story. **In simple terms:** Look beyond surface to find true meaning. Key Takeaway Seek depth over genre expectations. Themes depth authenticity focus artistic integrity Mood analytical critical thoughtful Type critical analytical personal When to use this quote - movie criticism - creative work - personal focus Key Concepts film analysis psychology storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay grounded in deeper meaning? - What helps you avoid genre bias? A Different Perspective Focusing on depth may ignore enjoyable surface elements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [In every case, I find pre-planning noble, but not always that useful in comedy. 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You get to go to work everyday and laugh and make other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/i-think-the-reward-for-doing-comedy-is-doing-the-comedy-itself-you/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [I've always felt that there's a lot of similarity between doing a comedy and doing a scary movie because jokes and scares are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/i-ve-always-felt-that-there-s-a-lot-of-similarity-between-doing-a/) [Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/) > [If you're using comedy to shame people for getting informed and questioning authority, you're not doing comedy, you're doing propaganda, 'cause comedy is supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-dore/if-you-re-using-comedy-to-shame-people-for-getting-informed-and/) [Jimmy Dore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-dore/) > [I have a work-out regime; I am not a maniac. 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You're doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-like-l-a-is-more-of-a-showcase-and-chicago-is-a-pure-comedy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For myself, the way that I learned comedy was doing it live for four years, and only after doing sketch for four years did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-bloom/for-myself-the-way-that-i-learned-comedy-was-doing-it-live-for-four/) [Rachel Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-bloom/) > [I never consciously got into comedy. It was sort of one of those things where I was a theater student, I was acting, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aasif-mandvi/i-never-consciously-got-into-comedy-it-was-sort-of-one-of-those/) [Aasif Mandvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aasif-mandvi/) > [Voice actors I used to know who were starting out in comedy were guys who did a lot of voices. 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I think it's always good to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maren-ade/we-with-komplizen-film-believe-very-much-in-the-writer-director-and/) [Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-ade/) > [Father-daughter has a lot of layers, I find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maren-ade/father-daughter-has-a-lot-of-layers-i-find/) [Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-ade/) > [When you direct the dialogue you can be precise, but with a song as a director you're more like a football coach. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maren-ade/when-you-direct-the-dialogue-you-can-be-precise-but-with-a-song-as-a/) [Maren Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maren-ade/) > [Politically, the world economy really depends on consultants. Because it's also, in a way, an outsourcing of responsibility. 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That's why I have to give all that I can, and at least produce something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/i-wouldn-t-want-people-to-laugh-at-me-that-s-why-i-have-to-give-all/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I've been funny my whole life. 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That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 19,795 Comedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had the feeling I had to stay focused on what's lying under. A big part of the story in Toni Erdmann happens on the sub-level. On the surface, a lot of scenes, it's banal. 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