Robin Williams was a celebrated actor and beloved comedian. It was his down-to-earth persona, humble personality, and wit that continues to draw fans to him. While he has done multiple memorable movies and played countless fan-favorite characters, his role as Genie in the Disney classic Aladdin remains timeless.
Even now after the popular live-action remake, the original Aladdin remains a beloved part of children’s childhood. Despite the movie’s popularity and William’s popular portrayal of Genie, Disney once allegedly betrayed Williams by doing that one thing that he had strongly told them not to.
How Disney Allegedly Betrayed Robin Williams
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Robin Williams was at the height of his career when he starred in the popular Disney classic Aladdin and it is no secret that his beloved character Genie was written for him. At that time Williams agreed to do the movie and took a huge pay cut, taking only $75,000 instead of his usual $8 million paycheck. His motive was to leave behind something special and memorable for his kids by creating something wonderful.
The movie was an instant hit and grossed over $504 million and continues to be streamed by millions of fans worldwide. However, even after the immense success, Disney betrayed Williams by doing the one thing he had told them not to do. The celebrated actor wanted to leave behind something special for his kids and was firm with Disney that they would not use his voice for selling merchandise.
In an interview with New York magazine, via Insider, the actor stated,
“I don’t want to sell stuff. It’s the one thing I don’t do.”
He later added on Today Show, via Insider,
“We had a deal. The one thing I said was I will do the voice. I’m doing it basically because I want to be part of this animation tradition. I want something for my children. One deal is, I just don’t want to sell anything — as in Burger King, as in toys, as in stuff.”
After his claims, Disney fought back stating it was all part of the game. However, they later changed their statement and sent Robin Williams a $1 million painting as an apology.
Disney Gave Robin Williams A Million Dollar Painting As An Apology
After multiple media statements and publicity, Disney realized their mistake. Changing their earlier statements of defending themselves against Robin Williams’s claims, the studio quickly apologized to the actor.
They sent the actor a rare self-portrait of Pablo Picasso that was worth over a million dollars. For some time things remained tense between the two parties. Later on, Williams even returned to work with them on Aladdin’s threequel and other movies.
Aladdin can be streamed on Disney Plus.
Source: Insider
