I have two standard replies when presented with a baffling statement. Etiquette and unruffled feathers are very high on my list of social virtues. The responses are “Wow!” and some variation of “Isn’t that true?”
For instance, while visiting a friend’s set the other day I was greeted by an actor whom I’ve met several times before. He greeted me with a jocular, “Hiya, Rosie,” (my name is Vickie) and engulfed me in a bear hug. I responded by praising a recent role the actor had played in a dramatic film which fifteen people had seen in the continental United States, but which I happened to love.
To which he responded, “Rosie! Until you’ve wiped out on your bike, hit your head on the pavement, seen the white light, been to the other side, you don’t know what the f— I’m talking about!”
Wow. Isn’t that true?