Alan Alda: The Meaning of Laughter ... and Other Things 3/6

The skills of acting and of living can be very similar, Mr. Alda suggests: “A few years ago it occurred to me that if I would listen to another person in life now, I'm not talking about on the stage, just in life, that I would listen to another person as though they were possibly my salvation, not that I had to wait until they were done so I could say this great thing I had to say, but really let them land on me, and change me, unless I let them change me, almost like were willing to let them change me, I wasn't really listening, so that I as much as I can remember to do that, now, I try to let the other person in and see what they're really trying to tell me. And it’s not always what their words are telling me, you know.”
For more than half a century, Alan Alda has been in show business. As an actor, writer and director of plays, movies, books and television programs, he has charmed, inspired, informed and challenged his audiences.