The iconic Robin Williams role almost played by Liam Neeson: “That was the right casting”
After appearing in over 100 films, Liam Neeson has had his fair share of roles, playing iconic characters in the likes of Schindler’s List, The Dark Knight Rises and Love Actually. Whether it be the lasting impact of the singular line “I will find you, and I will kill you” or the dizzying number of cuts as he jumps over a fence in Taken, the actor has carved out a unique space within cinematic history through his gritty and haunted performances. But within any actor’s career, there are also a number of roles that didn’t make it to the screen, with Neeson describing one brush with fate that nearly saw him cast in a project that went on to be the definitive role in someone else’s career.
Robin Williams was a rare light within Hollywood, with an effortless sense of humour and charisma that brought warmth and instantaneous charm to every film he starred in. From the tenderness of Good Will Hunting to the heartwarming Mrs Doubtfire, Williams became a household name through his ability to find fun at any moment.
However, one of his most beloved characters was that of an enigmatic teacher in Dead Poet Society, working with Peter Weir on the 1989 film about a group of students whose lives are reinvigorated by the arrival of an unconventional English teacher.
But while we remember Williams for his inspiring performance in the film, Neeson was one of the actors who was also put forward for the part, saying, “There’s been a couple of movies I thought, ‘Oh, I was up for that,’ but it’s better the way it turned out. A wonderful film, I loved the script, and that Robin Williams played, God rest him, was Dead Poet’s Society. I loved that script. Loved it. Robin was great. He was. That was the right casting.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone else being able to embody that melancholic optimism that we see from Williams as the Captain, moving audiences to tears through the lasting power of the final scene and the introduction of the phrase “seize the day” to global vocabulary. He has the perfect combination of faded sadness and fearless hope that adds to the devastating heart of the story, capturing the pangs of adolescence and the dreams we held for ourselves when we were young.
While missing out on this role might have been a bitter pill to swallow, Neeson starred in Next of Kin the same year alongside Patrick Swayze, shortly going on to work with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and becoming renowned for his work with both.
There are many ‘what could’ve been’ moments that define the turbulent landscape of filmmaking, with projects that constantly flit in and out of the public conscience as stories struggle to be lifted from the ground. But perhaps there is an element of fate that interacts with the creative process and influences the invisible inner workings of something we rarely see. When one door opens, another one closes, leading to a missed opportunity for Neeson but a heart-wrenching performance from Williams.
