Robin Williams: A few words on a wonderful man

Last night I wept for the loss of a man I have never met. It seems I was not the only one; my Facebook newsfeed was covered in heart breaking tributes from friends who felt that Robin Williams had impacted their lives. He has come to symbolise, particularly for my generation, everything that is innocent and fun. There is so much I want to say about him I thought rather than trying to fit it into a pithy little status I would write a blog post.

For me he has always been the perfect example of what good comic acting should be about: truth no matter how  character or circumstance. It is not the crazy comedy antics of Euphegenia Doubtfire that has made this character immortal: many an actor can pop on a skirt, do some silly voices and give us a bit of a laugh. What Robin Williams did so masterfully was make us believe. He is vulnerable, sincere, human. We could cry for him and when the time comes for us to laugh we do it all the more heartily because we love him. Look at his performance as Peter Panning: the moments he finally remembers he can fly, or imagines a feast or realises who the lost boys are these are the things that make that magical adventure endure as a great classic of our childhood and they make his hilarious antics all the more enjoyable. Even in Aladdin (surely one of the greatest animated performances of all time) it is his love for Aladdin and his earnest desire for freedom that makes the Genie so warm. His more adult work also withstands such scrutiny. Only the other week I was flicking through the channels and found Good Will Hunting. With no intention of stopping to watch it yet again, I found myself unable to switch over from his twinkling, touching performance. The improvised dialogue about his wife's farts alone make that performance worthy of the Oscar it received. Now how many actors could you say that about? ... And what about Good Morning Vietnam? When I picture myself watching this it is jaw agape, wide eyed and totally delighted. One performance I haven’t heard a lot of people mention but that left a huge impression on me, was his portrayal of an obsessed stalker in One Hour Photo. Holding the film almost entirely by himself with much of the film completely devoid of dialogue, he manages to make your skin crawl and elicit your sympathies simultaneously. Even as I write it that doesn’t seem possible but I encourage you to watch and see for yourself. It is a masterful performance.

I’d also like to talk a little about his illness. Yesterday I was asked, “Are you more upset because he’s dead or because it seems he committed suicide?” It got me thinking. I know this is an incredibly sensitive subject and the last thing I wish to do is offend anyone but this is how I understand it: what he had was a terminal illness. Just like a person who dies of cancer, he fought bravely for a long time and, I'm sure everyone around him did everything they could to prolong his life and improve its quality but in the end it got the better of him. He was just too sick. Suicide leaves people with a sense that it could have been prevented but I don’t think it works like that. We should do everything we can to look out for and check in with each other, of course, but some people can’t recover and crushingly, it seems, Robin Williams was one such person. People often talk about suicide as a selfish act. I think this is flat out wrong. It is a manifestation of perceived insignificance or even a totally miscalculated belief that people would be better off without them. It is a symptom of a person too sensitive to survive. The same sensitivity that gave Robin Williams his talent. 

Let’s not let his death define his life. Lets laugh and cry and love his work as we have for so many years. Chris Columbus said of him today " He truly was one of the few people who deserved the title of ‘genius.’ … The world was a better place with Robin in it. And his beautiful legacy will live on forever". I don’t know about you but I am about to have an epic movie Marathon and be grateful I can always spend time in his company, even if it’s only through the silver screen.