Jack Black names the best Robin Williams performances: “The most powerful one-two punch”
There’s arguably no actor to have ever straddled the divide between comedy better than Robin Williams, who established himself as one of his generation’s most talented performers on both fronts.
While comedic actors trying their hand at dramatic performances and vice versa has been commonplace for decades, and there’s no shortage of stars who’ve proven equally great at both, Williams was on a different level to any of his contemporaries before or since.
He was a legend of the stand-up circuit, was one of the most gifted improvisational comics of his or any other era, had audiences howling in the aisles with his signature brand of stream-of-consciousness scattergun riffing, and then segued into more challenging material with the greatest of ease, winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in Good Will Hunting on his fourth nomination.
Jack Black followed a similar path, albeit not beat-for-beat. He studied drama at university, made a splash on sketch TV as a recurring guest star on Mr Show with Bob and David, and seamlessly transitioned into cinema after his breakout role in Stephen Frears’ High Fidelity before maintaining his stardom through a persona that’s distinctly his.
Obviously, Black hasn’t dipped his toes into dramatic waters as often or as well as Williams, but their paths aren’t entirely dissimilar. He even channelled one of his comedy heroes when he boarded the cast of Jake Kasdan’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the legacy sequel to Joe Johnston’s 1995 family favourite.
Williams’ character was referenced in the film, and his looming shadow was one that the creative team and cast were frequently confronted with. By his own admission, Black had never seen Jumanji until he was offered the follow-up, although it immediately became one of his favourite performances from the legendary funnyman.
“Robin Williams kicked so much ass,” he told Collider. “It’s right up there with my favourite Robin Williams performances because it’s perfectly suited to his strengths in that heightened reality. My favourite Robin Williams are like, what’s the one where he’s the blue genie? Aladdin. He throws down hard in Aladdin. Those for me, pound for pound, are the most powerful one-two punch.”
An effects-heavy literary adaptation and a Disney animated feature might not jump out immediately as the pinnacle of Williams’ onscreen excellence, but Black disagrees. Jumanji allowed him to balance a more understated turn with the crowd-pleasing antics that made him a household name, while Aladdin let him cut loose in the recording booth to deliver what’s arguably the best voice performance by any movie star in an animated film, so it’s not without merit.
He was an Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy-winning powerhouse on stage and screen, but for Black, Alan Parrish and the Genie were never bettered.
