The one casting decision that “pissed” Robin Williams off
The American actor and comedian Robin Williams was widely known for being one of the most likeable movie stars of the 1990s and early 2000s, starring in some of the era’s greatest-ever films. Collaborating with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Gus Van Sant, Christopher Nolan and Francis Ford Coppola, Williams regularly played cinematic ‘nice guys’ and wasn’t known to fly off the handle.
From Sean, the psychologist in Good Will Hunting, who helps to get the most out of Matt Damon’s titular protagonist, to Mrs. Doubtfire in the film of the same name, who charms his own children whilst dressed as their nanny. Yet, Williams is only human, and there were many casting decisions that he was annoyed to be on the losing side of, especially ones that would have elevated his profile if he’d earned the role.
“I’m still getting fucked with. You’re not immune from it at any level,” Williams told Playboy when asked if he’d ever been “screwed over” in the industry back in 1992.
In particular, Williams felt hard done by when he was turned down for the role of the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 movie, losing out to the villainous part to Jack Nicholson. “What they do a lot of times, they bait people,” the actor added in regards to casting, “They’ll say, ‘Robin might do this, are you in or out?’. A lot of things are word of mouth, and a lot of people are offered something, and then, immediately, it’s taken away and given to somebody else. There are many stories of Gene Hackman getting offered a film and then they’re pulling him because Paul Newman comes back.”
When asked specifically about whether he was used as bait for the Joker role, Williams added: “Yeah. I was a little pissed by that. He’d been offered it six months before, and then it was given to me. I replied, but they said I was too late. They said they’d gone to Jack over the weekend because I didn’t reply soon enough. I said, ‘You gave me till Monday, I replied before the deadline.’ But it was just to get Jack off the pot.”
Many superhero fans have long thought that Williams would have been an amazing choice to have depicted the Joker, being a star equally capable of comedy and dramatic greatness. Elsewhere, fans have discussed their desire to see Willem Defoe play the role, along with such other stars as Sam Rockwell, Jim Carrey and John Malkovich.
Take a look at Nicholson, who claimed the role of Joker instead of Williams, in Batman below.
