(I wrote this as an introduction to Lettermans tribute to Robin. For some reason or other, when I shared the link on this page, it did not include what Id written. So, Im reposting:) It has been a week, but Im still dwelling on it... In 2004, I spent a month in Skagway, Alaska working on a movie with Robin Williams. It is a tiny town whose existence is tied to the summer vacation season when it overflows with folks taking sea cruises. We were there in the off-season, so there were very few distractions besides our work, hence, we (the cast) spent a lot of time together. Much of that was spent at a local bar, and sadly, it was where Robin picked up old habits that were very bad for him. It wasnt until I saw him on The Tonight Show several years later that I sadly realized that some of our late night sojourns had caused him to fall off the wagon after twenty years or so of sobriety. In our time together, I got to know, and befriend, a Hero of mine - Id grown up watching him and hed inspired me to follow my dreams. Robin could make you laugh so hard the tears would run down your leg; 90% of the time he was ON, constantly entertaining anyone and everyone standing nearby. However, every now and then, the Mask would drop and the Real Guy would show himself. He was such a gentle soul, kind, thoughtful, and considerate of people. When I see the way some evil people have exploited his passing, it nauseates me. In the past, Ive spoken of my pinch-me moments - times when I find myself in a situation that, in the moment, I cant believe is actually happening. Those almost always occur when I am around my Heroes. My ego often prods me to relate them, and I do realize my doing so can come across as gauche name-dropping, but my re-telling of these instances serve as a reminder to myself that I did not imagine it - that it really did happen. I had one with Robin. In talking about a character in our film, we were discussing physical characteristics of mental conditions. He said, that often, folks seek a tactile connection before they will make eye contact - they touch you before theyll look at you. I said, Yeah, I know. I did that in SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. That was you..? Oh, my God, that was YOU! I called people to ask where, and how, did they find a mentally handicapped man with great a sense of comic timing... That was YOU. Have you seen my baseball HA for the remainder of our shoot, Warren became one of Robins characters; he would break into an impersonation. One day, I had a huge grin on my face, and Robins looks at me and says, What..? I told him Id memorized side one of his album Reality What A Concept and spent my middle-school and high-school years impersonating him. So, to see him doing me.... It was a Pinch-Me moment Ill never forget. * When folks are at Robins level of Fame, they are pulled in every direction. They work with hundreds of new actors/performers and meet tens of thousands of other people from all facets of life, so to maintain a truly close relationship is difficult. I have not seen Robin since we did the movie. His longtime assistant is a friend, and Ive heard from her on occasion when theyd see me in something; but it isnt like he and I were talking on the phone every few weeks. However, that time we did spend together allowed me to make a real, personal contact with someone I admired. To find out that he, in turn, admired my work was special and in that, I felt a bond with him. I understand Depression - the soul-crushing, numbness is something Ive experienced for prolonged periods at a couple of points in my life. However, the insight that my work has taught me over the years, gives me the ability to see The Devil as He is approaching and I dont let Him drag me into the depths anymore. It hurts to know someone who brought me as much joy as Robin did, suffered so deeply, and could not fight off the Darkness when it came calling and drug him away.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 23:25:45 +0000
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