--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, I would mess about…" description: "\"When I was younger, I would mess about and have a laugh with everyone. I was doing Atonement when I was about 12, and as we went to do this very seriou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/saoirse-ronan-7939_atonement_when-i-was-younger-i-would-mess-about-an_573836.jpg" --- # When I was younger, I would mess about and have a laugh… ![“When I was younger, I would mess about and have a laugh with everyone. I was doing Atonement when I was about 12, and as we went to do this very serious scene, the director Joe [Wright] came up to me ... I'd been giggling right up to the beginning of the take. And he came up to me and said, "Okay…” quote by Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/saoirse-ronan-7939_atonement_when-i-was-younger-i-would-mess-about-an_573836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/saoirse-ronan-7939_atonement_when-i-was-younger-i-would-mess-about-an_573836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/saoirse-ronan-7939_atonement_when-i-was-younger-i-would-mess-about-an_573836.jpg) > “When I was younger, I would mess about and have a laugh with everyone. I was doing Atonement when I was about 12, and as we went to do this very serious scene, the director Joe \[Wright\] came up to me ... I'd been giggling right up to the beginning of the take. And he came up to me and said, "Okay, you need to be serious now." I completely idolized him.” [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Professionalism requires setting appropriate tone, even when personal joy conflicts with work demands. **In simple terms:** Balance fun and seriousness at work. Key Takeaway Know when to shift from play to focus. Themes career discipline authenticity Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice observational When to use this quote - set shoots - live performances - team meetings Key Concepts role boundaries leadership self‑control Questions to Reflect On - When should you prioritize levity over formality? - How does humor affect team dynamics? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on seriousness can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atonement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atonement/) [Director Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director-joe-1058145/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Doing Atonement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-atonement-4729948/) [Have a laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/have-a-laugh/) [Idolized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idolized/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) [Laugh Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh-doing-269592/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okay/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Went Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-scene-4166726/) ## Related quotes > [I got very spoiled. Everybody said you will never ever work on such a good movie, you know. I did, because I went on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-simon/i-got-very-spoiled-everybody-said-you-will-never-ever-work-on-such-a/) [Daniel Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-simon/) > [I didn't want to live in LA again, although I'd go back every couple of months to do an interview, usually with a heavy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-simmons/i-didn-t-want-to-live-in-la-again-although-i-d-go-back-every-couple/) [Sylvie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-simmons/) > [We went and made our own scene and did our own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-flint/we-went-and-made-our-own-scene-and-did-our-own-thing/) [Keith Flint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-flint/) > [I think when you get on with the actors that you're working with, even if you do have really intimate scenes, as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-when-you-get-on-with-the-actors-that-you-re-working-with-even/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I like being cheerful. Isn't it nice to be able to have fun and laugh while doing interviews?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/i-like-being-cheerful-isn-t-it-nice-to-be-able-to-have-fun-and-laugh/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [I always tried to make people laugh. I attribute that to - I come from a family of divorce. It was a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/i-always-tried-to-make-people-laugh-i-attribute-that-to-i-come-from-a/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [My dad knows how to tell a story. He'd make me laugh by doing all the different voices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-collins/my-dad-knows-how-to-tell-a-story-he-d-make-me-laugh-by-doing-all-the/) [Lily Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-collins/) > [“Of course, they're not clowning around trying to make me laugh. They're doing their best to live very serious lives, and they just happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/of-course-they-re-not-clowning-around-trying-to-make-me-laugh-they-re/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [My job is to express who I am and what I hate about the country and what I love about it and what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/my-job-is-to-express-who-i-am-and-what-i-hate-about-the-country-and/) [Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/) > [If you can make just one person laugh, then you are already doing better than Tony Danza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/if-you-can-make-just-one-person-laugh-then-you-are-already-doing/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [“A Psychopath will go to great lengths and take calculated steps to ensure they run you over, laugh while doing it, and back up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-thomas/a-psychopath-will-go-to-great-lengths-and-take-calculated-steps-to/) [Shannon Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-thomas/) > [I love making people laugh by doing something funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-park/i-love-making-people-laugh-by-doing-something-funny/) [Jamie Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-park/) > [I found that I could make people laugh doing people like Shirley Bassey. Fortunately it worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-horrocks/i-found-that-i-could-make-people-laugh-doing-people-like-shirley/) [Jane Horrocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-horrocks/) > [You want to know what living life to the fullest actually is? It's waking up on a Monday morning with no complaints. It's knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-want-to-know-what-living-life-to-the-fullest-actually-is-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Getting a laugh was what I'd been doing with my family and at school since the age of three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisling-bea/getting-a-laugh-was-what-i-d-been-doing-with-my-family-and-at-school/) [Aisling Bea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisling-bea/) ## More by Saoirse Ronan > [I appreciate the written word and spoken word more, but Atonement sort of established so much of me. It was a character that didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-appreciate-the-written-word-and-spoken-word-more-but-atonement-sort/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I think I do believe in the afterlife; I have heard stories from people who I can completely trust that have seen ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-i-do-believe-in-the-afterlife-i-have-heard-stories-from/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I like to get far away from myself when I'm acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-like-to-get-far-away-from-myself-when-i-m-acting/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I've always wanted to act and I grew up a little on film sets when my dad was working as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-ve-always-wanted-to-act-and-i-grew-up-a-little-on-film-sets-when-my/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I like books that are exciting and that make you think about things, as well. I like things that have a twist - like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-like-books-that-are-exciting-and-that-make-you-think-about-things/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [Lindsay Lohan was the 'It' girl from, like, 14. That's a lot of pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/lindsay-lohan-was-the-it-girl-from-like-14-that-s-a-lot-of-pressure/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [If I'm in the middle of a take and I start to think about what I'm doing, I just mess up and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/if-i-m-in-the-middle-of-a-take-and-i-start-to-think-about-what-i-m/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I listen to everything. I love The Chemical Brothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-listen-to-everything-i-love-the-chemical-brothers/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I remember being on Atonement and it felt very right to be there. There was so much excitement every day. I remember very vividly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-remember-being-on-atonement-and-it-felt-very-right-to-be-there/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [Vampire teeth really aren't very efficient, are they? It looks very messy. I'm not sure it's the best way to get a pint off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/vampire-teeth-really-aren-t-very-efficient-are-they-it-looks-very/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [My whole life I try to make into a comedy, so it would be nice to see that onscreen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/my-whole-life-i-try-to-make-into-a-comedy-so-it-would-be-nice-to-see/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I think if my child died I would prefer it if I were dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-if-my-child-died-i-would-prefer-it-if-i-were-dead/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [I think 'Twilight' was such a phenomenon that it will be a while before anything like that will happen again. Cause it really influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-twilight-was-such-a-phenomenon-that-it-will-be-a-while-before/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [When I am on set or rehearsing for the play, the only thing I can talk about is the work I'm doing. In that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/when-i-am-on-set-or-rehearsing-for-the-play-the-only-thing-i-can-talk/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) [Explore all 86 Saoirse Ronan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) ## More Atonement quotes > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [I appreciate the written word and spoken word more, but Atonement sort of established so much of me. It was a character that didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-appreciate-the-written-word-and-spoken-word-more-but-atonement-sort/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [The Atonement is an event that enables us to be reconciled to God. The word atonement, or 'at-one-ment,' means to restore or to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-c-tingey/the-atonement-is-an-event-that-enables-us-to-be-reconciled-to-god-the/) [Earl C. Tingey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-c-tingey/) > [The early Christians made it a part of their religion to look for his return. They looked backward to the cross and the atonement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-early-christians-made-it-a-part-of-their-religion-to-look-for-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And the commencement of atonement is the sense of its necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/and-the-commencement-of-atonement-is-the-sense-of-its-necessity/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/beloved-no-sin-of-a-believer-can-now-be-an-arrow-mortally-to-wound/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [If you feel guilty or quietly ashamed, seek the power of the Atonement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-f-marriott/if-you-feel-guilty-or-quietly-ashamed-seek-the-power-of-the-atonement/) [Neill F. Marriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-f-marriott/) > [Jesus perfected his life and became our Christ. Priceless blood of a god was shed, and he became our Savior; his perfected life was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/jesus-perfected-his-life-and-became-our-christ-priceless-blood-of-a/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [The Atonement of Christ is the most transcendental event that has ever occurred or that will ever occur, since the sunrise of creation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-r-mcconkie/the-atonement-of-christ-is-the-most-transcendental-event-that-has/) [Bruce R. McConkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-r-mcconkie/) > [Jesus Christ was the only one capable of performing the magnificent Atonement because He was the only perfect man and the Only Begotten Son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-o-samuelson/jesus-christ-was-the-only-one-capable-of-performing-the-magnificent/) [Cecil O. Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-o-samuelson/) > [The cumulative weight of all mortal sins--past, present, and future--pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-cumulative-weight-of-all-mortal-sins-past-present-and-future/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [God thank you for everything you've given us. For the time we have together. And for the miracle of Christmas. Thank you for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/god-thank-you-for-everything-you-ve-given-us-for-the-time-we-have/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Contemplation does not ignore the 'historical Gethsemane', does not ignore the mystery of evil, guilt and its bloody atonement. The happiness of contemplation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/contemplation-does-not-ignore-the-historical-gethsemane-does-not/) [Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/) > [Do you realize how marvelous it is that you can call upon the Atonement? The Lord effected the Atonement for our sakes. And there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/do-you-realize-how-marvelous-it-is-that-you-can-call-upon-the/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [I would rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended, than a universal atonement that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-would-rather-believe-a-limited-atonement-that-is-efficacious-for/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) [Browse all 327 Atonement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atonement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was younger, I would mess about and have a laugh with everyone. I was doing Atonement when I was about 12, and as we went to do this very serious scene, the director Joe [Wright] came up to me ... I'd been giggling right up to the beginning of the take. 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