An inside look at Robin Williams
Monday, October 16, 2006 7:25 AM PDT
By Newsday
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E-mail this articleKidsday interviewed actor and comedian Robin Williams while he was in New York City recently.
Q: What role do you think is the most like the real you?
A: The genie in "Aladdin." I would say a combination of the teacher in "Dead Poets Society" and maybe the character in the movie "The Fisher King." Those are two extreme characters.
Q: In the movie "Mrs. Doubtfire," was it comfortable to wear women's clothes?
A: No. It was a big lady's outfit. Wearing a big lady's body was uncomfortable. It was like wearing a big beanbag chair. The makeup took four hours to put on, and it was 18 different pieces. The hardest part about the makeup was they had to paint it.
Q: What was the most challenging film you have done?
A: It was a film called "What Dreams May Come." It dealt with heaven and hell and loss, and losing family on a daily basis. There were a lot of stunts and not for comedy. It was a strange movie and very hard to deal with emotionally because there were very few days when you had to deal with anything happy. The opposite is doing a movie like "Aladdin," where you just go in and have a good time, or the movie "Happy Feet," where you create a voice, and they create a character from the voice, and I got to be three different types of characters.
Q: Who are some of your favorite people to work with?
A: Jeff Bridges, Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines, Kristen Chenoweth, who was in the movie "RV." A friend of mine who I only got to work with once but who I would work with again in a second is Billy Crystal. A director who I have done three movies with, Barry Levinson. I've done more movies where I have become close friends with them after the movie. That is the great part. For example, I did a movie called "Cadillac Man" with Tim Robbins, and we became great friends afterwards.
Q: Who did you admire?
A: My father, a lot. My mother for comedy; she was very, very funny. My father was an ethical and elegant guy.
Q: What is the best thing about being an actor?
A: The work, making movies or performing. It's the chance to work with other people who are really good. People ask me if I like watching my movies, and I say no, but I don't like looking in a mirror all day, either. Making (the movie) is the best part.
Q: How many scenes have you flubbed because you were laughing?
A: A few. There have been times when someone has done something so funny that you just can't stop.
Q: You starred in the movie "RV." Would you recommend a family take an RV vacation?
A: It would be an interesting stress test. I think taking a car vacation is a great American tradition. That is kind of cool. It is great for me. I love it.
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