The late Robin Williams was an exceptional talent, an actor and a comedian, who entertained the audience with his seamless transition from comedy to drama, which allowed him to entertain audiences with different preferences of genre. But more than that he was a great human being who focused on understanding and communicating with human emotions in his films which made his evergreen to watch.
Sadly, Robin Williams is not between us anymore but his films and characters will continue to live on forever as he showcased his talents in films such as Good Will Hunting, Hamlet, Insomnia, Dead Poets Society, and many more. While he was outstanding in Dead Poets Society, Williams’ casting for the film was a surprising choice and he hid a secret from the studio while shooting the film.
Robin Williams and Cast Fooled Disney While on The Set of Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society is one of the best films of this generation that tells the story of John Keating, an unconventional English teacher who encourages his students to break free from the traditional norms. He inspired his students using poetry, his students loved him and he used to call him with a line from Walt Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!”
Robin Williams’ portrayal of John Keating was outstanding, as he played the role flawlessly, constantly showcasing Keating’s comedic side, making the film would be a cinematic brilliance. However, the 1989 film was shot on a strict shooting schedule, and Peter Weir was having a tough time because Disney gave limited time to shoot the expensive film. And there was an inexperienced cast working alongside The King Fisher actor.
During an exclusive interview with Scriptmag, Peter Weir shared that they hid half-day of the shooting from Disney, as he could not encourage the actor to showcase his comedic side to the young members of the cast. They decided to let loose one afternoon and he made the young cast believe that they would be doing an unscripted scene for the film.
“I planned a half-day unscheduled shoot where I let Robin do his thing. We completely concealed this from Disney’s front office … we set up three cameras in the corners of the room, and I told the boys, ‘Robin’s coming in after lunch to do a scene that isn’t in the script. Just remember he’s still your teacher, Mr. Keating, and you’ll wreck the scene if you laugh like you’re watching a standup comic. So act amused, but don’t overdo it.'”
Of course, the standup scene went so well that it made it into the film. The scene was where Williams was impersonating John Wayne and Marlon Brando.
Robin Williams and Peter Weir Set the Tone For Dead Poets Society
Before working in the 1989 drama film, the Patch Adams actor used to work in comedy films and was a known figure of that genre. However, he decided to increase his acting range and wanted to take on dramatic roles. Peter Weir stated that they had a meeting and worked together to not “bury his gift,” but tune it down to actions or “small things that would still get laughs.”
“We decided to set the tone when we first meet him in the assembly hall when the headmaster introduces him as the replacement English teacher. I had Robin simply raise an eyebrow, to symbolize that he could do small things that would still get laughs.”
The idea of toning down the comedy to actions was a huge success, as the film helped Williams to get his second Academy Award nomination, and made him a regular in the dramatic genre. He worked in several drama films such as Awakenings, Patch Adams, Insomnia, World’s Greatest Dad, and One Hour Photo.
Dead Poets Society can be rented on AppleTV.
Source: Script Mag
