Richard Curtis Interview

I just finished up watching Bill Hybels interview film-maker and advocate for the poor, Richard Curtis.  Fascinating interview by a guy who is making an impact in the arts and in the war on poverty.  Here are some of the topics that were covered and how he responded.

On What He Does for a Living

"Most people make movies about the worst thing that can happen to you - you know, you are in a house and someone breaks in and wants to kill you with a knife.  I make movies about the best thing that can happen to you - like you are walking down the street and you bump into Julia Roberts and she wants to marry you."

On The Power of Laughter

"A laugh is what most of us want...the texture of life is improved by a laugh." 

On The Character Mr. Bean in Church

"Mr. Bean came from my own reflections on religion.  I always connected religion with things going disastrously wrong."

On How To Motivate People

"Remember two things:  give them a chance to fix themselves and not just obey your orders.  And you need to find a way to get back to the original reason you wanted them do of it in the first place...find your motivation and motivate them."

On How Do You Resolve Conflict

"Don't get into that situation in the first place.  But if you find yourself there - keep your cool because often it is not what you think it is.  It maybe about something else completely.  When things go wrong you must not panic, because you may well be able to fix it down the line."

On His Passion for Love

"I'm passionate about the power of love and I find myself getting more and more angry about the romance of violence.  If you can make people remember what love is like - that is a truly great thing to do."

On His Passion for the Poor

"My passion for the poor started in my early years as a child in the Philippines. I remember the poverty and people living in cardboard houses.  Later as a kid, I remember a Christmas when my family gave away everything that year to the poor...that turned out to be a pretty terrific Christmas.  And then going to Ethiopia in 1984 as a 25 year old man, I was very struck by the unsentimental way that people went about their work with the poor.  It was there that I hatched what my life would be about:  yes, I will make movies, but I will give my life to this cause.  What we are fighting for is for the poor to have the right to laugh and do things that eery person should be able to do.  So, we started Red Nose Day day as a way for anyone to get involved. It costs one pound for a red nose.  It has turned into a huge holiday.  When we shot The Girl in the Cafe we did it in 6 weeks and then edited in 6 weeks.  It was a blessed project.  It was trying to say something very simple - if you put people away from the business of politics they would obviously see that more has to be done!"Comic Relief

"As far as I can remember Jesus lived among the poor...and he took that as an important responsibility.  We should take advantage of our cameras in a way that tells the story of the poor.  I work on these films the way I work on any of my films - it is a work of art."

On Asking Others To Get Involved.

"I'm not embarrassed to ask my friends to get involved in this cause.  When American Idol said yes to Idol Gives Back, the American public gave $73 million as a result of that broadcast.  So, I'm not embarrassed to ask my friends to do things.  I will also ask people who are not my friends to help me in this cause.  I think people want a chance to help and are looking for an opportunity to help."

On A Sweet and Satisfying Moment

"When I turned 50 I remember saying what used to be celebration is now relief.  Of course the first moment you hear laughter from an audience watching your film that is satisfying.  But the charity stuff that I do is more profound.  I know I have changed their lives.  I now find young people who are dedicated to these attitudes.  If you walk into a video store and see hundred of videos sitting on a shelf, it is so demoralizing; it makes me ask 'is it really worth making another?'  But the result of my fund raising efforts, which are harder than film making is helping a person...that is satisfying."

On His Connection with God?

"Loving your neighbor"; I'm still altered by that.  I've seen my friends lose themselves in the arguing of the theory of stuff.  At the end of a prayer or at the end of reading the Bible or a sermon I can't let myself off the hook.  I need to do something about it.  I believe hugely that individuals can have a fantastic impact.  All popular movements have to be raised by single people. 

On What Would You Say To The Church

"A guy over there should not be dying while I have so much.  If the church takes a stance by saying that this is our human and God-given duty in the next 10 years to solve the problem of poverty - I believe they could do it.  I would hope that churches would never let their leaders off the hook.  If they want to hold the enthusiasm of people they have to crack this issue.  I promise we can crush world poverty in the next 10 years.  I would love to say that 10 years from now that I engaged churches in this cause.  It would be there greatest victory!

Comments

[Scott]

I love Richard's comment on giving others the "chance to fix themselves."

Too many times we are eager to provide the fix and it ends up being short-lived.

[Jeff Pessina]

I love the idea that the Church could fix world poverty in 10 years. Now there's not just a huge idea or dream, but in 10 years! Wow, give me some more of that!
A few years ago I stirred some people (and myself even) by challenging the assumption that said, "Well, we KNOW we can't help all the street kids out there." Something in my heart kept asking, "How do we KNOW that? Has anyone ever tried?" I suspect rather that we have simply allowed the paralysis of inaction to set in based on an accepted and unchallenged supposition that limits us because it limits God, and therefore shackles the Church. It's certainly easier and more comfortable to believe that we CANT solve the world's problems; and since we can't, we might as well get back to the football game. And then of course there is a lot of theology to get through too. Did Jesus come to feed the poor and fix the world? If not... back to the game again. Perhaps until we can understand social responsibility purely as social opportunity, we'll never do what we REALLY could do.

[Tony Myles]

Some great texture to these notes... thanks for this!

[Mark Borgetti]

Ok, you were the guy I wanted to sit next to in class because you took such good notes (and lots of them)!!!!

I see Richard as someone who first chose to "take action" and second "hoped for results." I think what stops so many people is the fear that they cannot make a difference ... "the problem is too big" ... "what can I do" ... if I remember correctly, Jesus said in two different passages ...

a) take care of the poor.
b) you will always have the poor with you

Do you think Jesus' second comment is a little prophetic? Just because the problem will not go away does not mean we should ignore it. I highly doubt Jesus is going to say to each of us when we get to heaven, "You blew it ... you didn't eradicate poverty." But when compassion and mercy guide and motivate our churches to take action ... whether we completely fix the problem or not ... when we do stand before Jesus we may just hear, "well done good and faithful servant."

[lorinda]

Excellent interview; my favorite take-away is his thought on motivating people.

[Jeff Pessina]

I agree. It's not about what we didn't do as we tried; but about what we did do because we had the opportunity to do it! I believe few people understand how big the open door is that the Lord has set before the church. It's the opportunity of a lifetime... to impact the earth with the Love of God. If the Church would really, as I say, "set God free" (to be and do what He is and wants) it would change the world in short order.

[Desiree Guzman]

I loved the stuff Richard Curtis said. But I love more the things he is doing. I'm glad we're talking about what he said, but I'd rather talk about what we're going to do as a church. Shane Claiborne says in his book, "Irresistible Revolution" that if we really want to be good stewards of the resources God has given us, then we have to ask ourselves how God would spend them. And if we ask that honestly, then we have to wrestle with this question: "Would God really use his resources to build some of his children the most luxurious mansions to while others live in filth?" Together we are the body of Christ, but somehow we've dressed the body in a way that drapes some parts with diamonds and designer fashions, while leaving other parts naked and exposed. Maybe the wrists should give up their diamond bracelets and the fingers should give up their diamond rings so that the exposed lower half can at least cover itself with a towel or something. This is definitely my own personal area of Holy discontent. I hope that the Summit -- which had a special focus on the poor -- will lead to more than interesting conversation. I pray that we won't stop at being excited when Bill Hybels says, "the local church is the hope of the world." I pray that we will have the courage to actually be that hope. But that would require that wealthy churches give -up a little something so that desperately poor churches could have a little something. Check out
2 Corinthians 8:1-15. I read it this summer while I was visiting churches made of mud and corrogated steel in a slum in Nairobi called, Kibera. A place where kids run barefoot on roads that flow with sewage. It shook me. Here's the part that really did it...

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

Plain and simple: we've gathered too much and we are not sharing it with those who gathered too little.