"Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual meaning is less important than the words themselves"
About this Quote
The subtext is a gentle pushback against our over-literal culture of plot summaries, explainers, and hot takes. When Branagh says the “actual meaning is less important,” he’s not endorsing emptiness. He’s defending texture: cadence, vowel sounds, repetition, the way a phrase can seduce or bruise before the brain has time to translate it into “theme.” It’s also an argument for why people still line up for Shakespeare in 2026, even when they don’t catch every reference. The body understands what the glossary can’t.
Context matters: Branagh’s career has been a long campaign to make classical language feel immediate on camera, where naturalism often punishes theatricality. This quote frames actors and directors as curators of experience rather than lecturers of meaning. The intent is democratic, even slightly commercial: we “offer it” to people who “want to experience it.” Not a sermon. A ticketed encounter where sound, not summary, is the hook.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Branagh, Kenneth. (n.d.). Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual meaning is less important than the words themselves. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-113859/
Chicago Style
Branagh, Kenneth. "Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual meaning is less important than the words themselves." FixQuotes. Accessed February 1, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-113859/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual meaning is less important than the words themselves." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-113859/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
