Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.

Rickman’s remark frames performance not as mere entertainment but as a form of civic and moral agency. By calling actors “agents of change,” he emphasizes that artists participate in shaping public feeling and imagination—often more effectively than argument or policy—because stories make audiences rehearse empathy, confront injustice, and reconsider what is “normal.” His quick expansion from acting to film, theatre, music, and books broadens the claim: culture is an ecosystem in which different arts reinforce one another’s impact. The final line—“It can change the world”—is both aspirational and cautionary, implying that art carries responsibility because it influences how people see others and act in society.