"The script is like music to me. I approach it like it's a musical piece and I hear how it's supposed to sound when people say the words. There's rhythms and there's intonations and things, and so, when somebody comes in and hits the notes that I hear, I go okay. Or, they come close enough, and then I'll say Well how about you try it like this? and if they have a good ear and they can pick it up, then I think okay, they've got it"
About this Quote
The subtext is authority, but not the authoritarian kind. Reiner isn’t saying, "Do it my way because I said so". He’s saying he’s already listening to a version of the scene that exists in his head, and auditions are an ear test: can an actor access the same internal metronome? "Hits the notes" suggests precision and discipline, while "come close enough" leaves room for collaboration. The adjustment he offers, "try it like this", is the rehearsal room in miniature: not a correction so much as a calibration.
Context matters here: Reiner’s best films often hinge on conversational music - the calibrated sparring of When Harry Met Sally..., the bedtime-story framing of The Princess Bride, the casual authenticity of Stand by Me. His comment explains why those performances feel both natural and oddly exact. It’s naturalism by design, not accident: improvisation that still has to stay in key.
Quote Details
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Reiner, Rob. (2026, January 11). The script is like music to me. I approach it like it's a musical piece and I hear how it's supposed to sound when people say the words. There's rhythms and there's intonations and things, and so, when somebody comes in and hits the notes that I hear, I go okay. Or, they come close enough, and then I'll say Well how about you try it like this? and if they have a good ear and they can pick it up, then I think okay, they've got it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-script-is-like-music-to-me-i-approach-it-like-173699/
Chicago Style
Reiner, Rob. "The script is like music to me. I approach it like it's a musical piece and I hear how it's supposed to sound when people say the words. There's rhythms and there's intonations and things, and so, when somebody comes in and hits the notes that I hear, I go okay. Or, they come close enough, and then I'll say Well how about you try it like this? and if they have a good ear and they can pick it up, then I think okay, they've got it." FixQuotes. January 11, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-script-is-like-music-to-me-i-approach-it-like-173699/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The script is like music to me. I approach it like it's a musical piece and I hear how it's supposed to sound when people say the words. There's rhythms and there's intonations and things, and so, when somebody comes in and hits the notes that I hear, I go okay. Or, they come close enough, and then I'll say Well how about you try it like this? and if they have a good ear and they can pick it up, then I think okay, they've got it." FixQuotes, 11 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-script-is-like-music-to-me-i-approach-it-like-173699/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
