The legendary co-star Robin Williams thought was “scary” to perform with
If there was ever an actor who was surefire guaranteed to cheer you up and make you laugh, then it was likely Robin Williams. Known and loved for his ability to improvise moments of comedic genius on the fly, Williams established himself as an icon of American entertainment and as one of the greatest comedians of all time.
Williams was as comfortable on stage as he was in front of the camera, and his many brilliant stand up routines were only matched by his performances in the likes of Good Morning, Vietnam, Hook and Mrs. Doubtfire, as well as his dramatic efforts in Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society and The World According to Garp.
One might have thought, considering the wild impact on American entertainment that Williams had throughout his life, that he would have had no fear working with fellow actors, regardless of their own prowess and reputation, but he once spoke of the impression that Robert De Niro left on him when they came together for a job.
“From Bob, you get the power of silence, of the deep-diving man,” William had told Playboy in 1992. “It’s scary. To be in the same room with Bob, and you’re acting with him.” Williams and De Niro had both starred in the 1990 drama film Awakenings, directed by Penny Marshall and based on the 1973 non-fiction memoir by Oliver Sacks.
It tells of a neurologist, played by Williams, who discovers the beneficial effects of a drug and uses it on a number of catatonic patients, leading to Robert De Niro’s character waking up and having to adapt to a new way of life. Going on to express his admiration for De Niro’s acting style, Williams noted, “You see how little he does, and you think, What the fuck is this? But he knows how powerful he is. It’s total economy. Borders on rarefied. He knows exactly to the vowel what’s too much.”
So while Williams said that it’s “scary” to be around De Niro on set, what he really means is that its truly astonishing to watch him perform. After all, considering his stunning performances in the likes of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Raging Bull, it’s easy to see why De Niro is regarded as one of the all-time great actors, certainly in the eyes of his Awakenings co-star Williams.
While they were making the film, Williams accidentally broke De Niro’s nose during a scene in which he was meant to restrain him. “In the making of that movie I broke his nose by accident,” Williams had once said. “We had this struggle when I was supposed to be restraining him when he was having a seizure and my elbow went ‘bam'”.
Still, the incident did not seem to put a dampener on the friendship that slowly blossomed between the two actors and as much as Williams admired De Niro’s “scary” acting, it was equally true that De Niro had a deep love for Williams, who made him laugh unlike any of his other co-stars.
“If you know me, you know how much I like to laugh. And no one made me laugh like Robin,” De Niro had once said. “Of course, it was more than the jokes. He had so much humanity. He was a wonderful actor, sure, but those feelings were real. No one could fake that kind of love and compassion.”
