Current:Home > 新闻中心Matt Damon remembers pal Robin Williams: 'He was a very deep, deep river' -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Matt Damon remembers pal Robin Williams: 'He was a very deep, deep river'
View
Date:2025-04-18 08:09:01
Ten years ago on Sunday, the laughter stopped.
In a beautiful waterfront home in Paradise Cay, California, Robin Williams took his own life, unwilling to contend with the increasingly debilitating impact of Lewy body dementia. He was 63.
It was impossible to experience Williams − a kinetic dervish who was to comedy what Taylor Swift is to music: uncategorizable − and not have that experience leave a lasting impact. Just ask Matt Damon.
"Robin, wow," Damon says softly when asked about the comedy legend while promoting "The Instigators," his new Apple TV+ heist movie co-starring Casey Affleck and Hong Chau. "He was a very deep, deep river."
Damon met Williams in 1997 while filming "Good Will Hunting." As therapist Sean Maguire, Williams was tasked with breaking down the psychological walls erected by Damon's math savant Will Hunting. Williams' fearless performance won him the 1998 best supporting actor Oscar.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"So I just realized, here are two movies that are pro-therapy: 'Good Will Hunting' and 'The Instigators,' " says Damon, referring to Chau's therapist character who works against great odds to reach both Damon and Affleck's troubled characters. "Undergirding both movies are positive messages about therapy, which Robin handled so beautifully."
The 'Good Will Hunting' Bench could soon have a statue of Robin Williams
In "Hunting," a memorable scene finds Williams challenging Damon's brash character to dig deeper. The two are sitting on a park bench in the Boston Public Garden. Williams' voice is a whisper but his message lands like a hammer.
"You don't know about real loss," says Williams, talking about his wife who died from cancer. "Because that only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself. I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much."
The bench turned into an impromptu shrine after Williams' death. Damon says an artist recently reached out to him and pal Ben Affleck, who co-wrote and co-starred in "Hunting." The artist wants to make a bronze statue of Williams and place it on that same bench.
"That call just buckled us," says Damon. "It's such a great idea, to have a statue of him in the middle of this park, where at any time of day or night, if you're feeling alone, you go and you sit with Robin. That's something I know he would have absolutely loved. So if this idea can make its way up the Boston political hierarchy, it will happen."
Robin Williams, the pope and a chance lunch encounter
Damon listens intently as he's told a story about how a year before Williams' death, this reporter had an accidental lunch with the comedian.
Just one patron was seated at the restaurant's sole outdoor table. I asked if it was OK to sit and only after he softly answered, "Sure" did I realize it was Williams. A casual conversation started, mostly about his beloved racing bicycles. Then a detour into an assignment I'd covered: the 2013 papal conclave in Rome that elected Pope Francis.
Suddenly, it happened. The almost hermit-like presence at our table erupted into ... Robin Williams.
Sign up for our Watch Party newsletter:We deliver the best movie and TV recommendations to your inbox
"Pope Francis is from Argentina, can you imagine, though, if the pope was from Brazil, wow, think about that one," Williams says, eyes instantly alight. "I mean, he'd likely have all the nuns up there doing a samba dance with him!"
Damon laughs at the tale. It is the Williams he remembers as well.
"It is surprising how serious and quiet and very shy he was, compared to that expectation he created − the expectation being that he was there to make you laugh," says Damon. "I know I had that expectation of him, the second he first walked into the room. And now, I just can't imagine living under that constant pressure."
Damon looks down for a moment.
"What a completely unique brain he had, the connections he would make," he says. "He's quiet, reserved, and suddenly, yeah, he's doing a bit about the pope and his Brazilian dancers. What can you say?"
If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 any time, day or night, or chat online.
veryGood! (31)
Related
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- The Best Memorial Day Bedding & Bath Deals of 2024: Shop Parachute, Brooklinen, Cozy Earth & More
- U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sets July 4 election date as his Conservative party faces cratering support
- Pronouns and tribal affiliations are now forbidden in South Dakota public university employee emails
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- The Celtics are special. The Pacers, now down 2-0, have questions about Tyrese Haliburton's health.
- Christian Nodal announces split from girlfriend Cazzu: 'I am deeply grateful'
- Police response to Maine mass shooting gets deeper scrutiny from independent panel
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Over 27,000 American flags honor Wisconsin fallen soldiers
Ranking
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- New Mexico officials warn of health effects from rising temperatures
- Court sides with West Virginia TV station over records on top official’s firing
- Judge in hush money trial rejects Trump request to sanction prosecutors
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Rodeo Star Spencer Wright's 3-Year-Old Son Wakes Up After Toy Tractor Accident
- Defense secretary tells US Naval Academy graduates they will lead ‘through tension and uncertainty’
- What is the 'best' children's book? Kids, parents and authors on why some rise to the top
Recommendation
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
Sydney judge says US ex-fighter pilot accused of training Chinese aviators can be extradited to US
Why Kate Middleton’s New Portrait Has the Internet Divided
MLB Misery Index: New York Mets have another big-money mess as Edwin Díaz struggles
'Most Whopper
Wreckage of famed 'Hit 'em HARDER' submarine found in South China Sea: See video
Prosecutors in Harvey Weinstein’s New York case cry foul over defense lawyer’s comments
This week on Sunday Morning (May 26)