Robin Williams Charlie Rose Interviews

from our studios in New York City this is Charlie Rose we remember Robin Williams this evening he was my friend and he was a friend of this program he came to this table often nobody on the planet could be so spontaneous so improvisational so smart as Robin Williams simply stated there was no one like him in a league of giants Nick Letterman and Carson and so many more in television and stand-up and film he was a unique giant so talented it took your breath away he was the guaranteed laughs so smart and so quick but impossible to define if you're in journalism your instinct is not to praise but simply to state he was brilliant he was the brightest star who fell to earth and is now among the stars officials will answer the question why he died and how he died the rest of us simply say thanks for coming to the table we will never forget you the first time he came to this table was 16 years ago 1998 was the year he would win the Academy Award for his performance in Good Will Hunting do you look for this kind of role because it gives some balance to the kinds of things that you going to do yeah because it could I love being a supporting part that for me a supporting role is extraordinary for me because it's two things it takes the pressure off but it's also being part of an ensemble but a role like this because it's I'd like to try and take a turn not you know to do a movie like flubber which is a children's movie no bones about it and to do something like this which is totally the other way to also play a character that is slightly it's tough slightly has his own problems no there's a wonderfully complex character and I'd love to do that yeah it balances it out that's why I always keep trying to do as many different types of things as possible not one particular type of role take me to two places one is what's going on with your character because when this guy walks in the room and then what happens in the relationship what is it that Shaun finally gives will that makes a difference before the first time he walks in it's like I've like I said I've my wife died a couple of years before I've been teaching at a this place called Bunker Hill Community College I teach you know at all different types of psychology classes and know that I've kind of withdrawn I did go to MIT with Stella's character but you know I chose a Vietnam vet you can tell understood yeah that's the way it feels fries the Fields Medal winner and basically he's you know he chose a life of you know working in the neighborhood working basically in Boston and working back with the people he grew up with in a weird way he's kind of like in mask after he wanted to work with the people you knew and you know that the community he grew up in he's but he's guarded he's you know he's been through a lot what he offers Matt's character is a perspective it's like of saying you know in like in the first time when he presses the buttons when he starts to attack the memory of my wife it pushes a button that I can't even control myself and I basically go for him and I violate the therapeutic relationship in that moment it's no longer therapeutic relationship and that's why you know the next session that that speech by the Swan pond is essentially saying okay I know who you are you know who I am and you really you know you you mess with my life in a huge way but I want you know I know who you are and I know you need some help and if you want to work on it I'd love to help you but it's up to you and as I say it and then it just begins this process of the two of them just talking you know first couple of times they don't even talk it's a standoff you know why he won't even say anything and then it works to a point where finally we starts I mean I have to kind of tell him you know I asked him a few questions and he tells things and he started working then I start sharing a little bit of myself for some reason with him the reason probably is it in him you see yourself he sees in himself he sees you know I see is the same I see the same mind going and I see what could go it's like that argument that we have with with stones character in the bar where say he gives the Einstein thing of you know what would I'm Stan it done you know he didn't need anything he became this great mind I said yes and also there's another great man who lived in Tanna name Theodore Kaczynski so it's that idea of he needs work there are things he can have everything I know he's a genius that's a given that's not what I'm there to work on I'm going to work on the other part of him the other part is to reach that other that's his soul and Dwight at the end I'm just saying to him what do you want to do you could do anything you know and just be bountiful but in the end it's like me it's it is father/son but it's it has all sorts of other elements but you are required I was just gonna say that he's saying that what you've chosen to exploit in my character is not a flaw this relationship I had with this woman it's not a character flaw this was an amazing relationship I had and because I had it I've really lived and and and that's what he tells well and essentially wills only come back is well then why aren't you doing that now why have you stopped we always felt the characters were parallels you know they were both kind of stagnant when they meet each other and because of this interaction they end up moving on in a healthy way when did you know that you wanted at least to entertain if not to be whatever you are at that time I saw my mother did I know I think was after high school really yeah first year of college I knew that you know those kind of select tendencies that way you did have been yeah what are you doing performing what is that about nothing we didn't better laitanan it know what it was I think it occurred in college where I took this improvisational theater class and something was so freeing about that did I flunk that all my political science course but did well and improvisation Oh amazing yeah we did oh very well very one let it sit and mourn yeah yes yes sir oh yeah is that things that I do well now just look at us I have blocked my mind giver and my mind is slow definitely upon the questions of has written me I know my friend that in the end now so the Charlie goes oh yes he does yeah so that was you know that was the beginning what really started to kick out and it's been like pretty much from then on doing this is there one great thing you want to do I mean is it this coming do you get more satisfaction from this kind of thing or do you in the end get the most satisfaction when you're out there with an audience it's it's equal in different ways I mean it's like comparing hang-gliding and you know spelunking I mean this one is a kind of a the idea of how intimate this piece is and when it really and when it works and reaches people in that intimate level it's just as meaningful to me as performing live it's different and you know but it gives me the same satisfaction but performing live is is this extraordinary this it's cheaper than Prozac and it's just great release and it's amazing the kind of fulfillment of want the one caveat is it's performing live and when you're really creating I mean you like when you asked him does he is this old stuff or no yeah that's an old line my friend I've heard that one when you really find a new piece there's something wonderful the creation the idea when you create it that's that's extraordinary that I really do you sit down and write this stuff at all I just I basically it's free associate yes free sources that sounds like a law firm young-young info for your social raise your right hand or your left whatever you want to do it's like what you do whatever you feel so she's never your mother whatever your mother tells you to if it's not one thing it's your mother hey women here we go it's like pretty nice essay by him walk away your mother will know you better by the year 2000 Robin Williams had already appeared in more than 30 feature films this conversation centered on the challenge of acting and improvisation what you should do is combine Shakespeare and stand-up we could we could if it's not a chicken that I have had picked up the two Jews enter the bar and honor entering find that it was theirs all is undone to the Muslim don't drink the Scotch I shall know thy name this show one rose yet there sits and at all time outside the day the Wall Street crumbles Nasdaq like Bungie Rises is it a between these this fall of subtil Bill Gates does open the windows of time and room we be we will all be undone in yet simply find ourselves waiting for this mealtime Oh till bill yet not knowing why the intern have done a trick of tongue but her name she hath gone away gentle Monica no not your time the ties the pine he does wear for thee I you are fin planned free until kenneth starr - shinin on we will not hear this - the moon above his gone Oh exit thing Charlie Rose the time is yours for you my lord oh yeah yeah yeah Shakespeare's only play so that's the way you like Shakespeare rules I do like it ah how's the Great Venice California Shakespeare Shakespeare rules dude tights okay with it Shakespeare room yes did you ever see that there was a great article I think in Los Angeles magazine it was uh the studio's notes - Shakespeare no okay who is this character Yorick and why do we need him it's like a great thing about can we make the character more likeable his father have to die can the ghost be less of a fascination and more of a family friend we change the ending can the ending be happy does he have to die can't he wake up look alive doesn't he need a girlfriend yeah and does she have to die - it's so bleak we really want to go can it be called Portland that's why you're leaving this business temporarily temporarily yeah you get yard of those nodes like when I saw puff I can I remember that an agent called me and said Robin can't you open your other eye no he only has one eye yes it's called pop ah he was thinking to be much more than the character be more likable if he could open those eyes he said no palette so we spin for 50 years oh I can't see oh it's all different you wanna do we understand you know that's Party mumbles I'm sorry it's it's just it's the business you know it's always that thing of maybe that's why stand-up Appeals because there's no rules is there any fear failure when you're up there oh yeah but I guess you're gonna have to get over that and take a chance cuz you have to really you have to fail in order to find the new I mean that's what's been nice about going in these clubs and sometimes if you have to fail to find the new yeah I have to kind of go through you have to kind of take the chance of going that it even bomb I guess but it's like you really kind of let go and it's a it's a really it cuz it kind of peels away what happens is it shakes you up it scares you and then you'll go back and work harder and then you'll it's like the old it's all I guess maybe it's the same way of on anything where you you know you you kick it out it doesn't work but then you come back and your mind goes try step two go to Phase two now don't go don't fall back and I've gone for the blue stuff stay with me David cool we're going to head who enjoys the comedy wish land you standing on it Luke say quince I don't need no second say wait come on well we've been going right through me don't be and you find you know you go out and eventually somehow something will kick in that's why it takes a while but if you have the courage you can do it 2002 was a year of change for both Robin Williams and myself he was directed by Mark Romanek and one hour photo it was his first psychological thriller I was recuperating from heart surgery that would also become a topic of many of our conversations come on out son jump jet ah got a new heart mo now a new valve we got it right there come on had it done by said why are you wait daddy went down to the pig farm ma babe we got another one here for mr. rose get me Louise the good one yeah if you like Val yeah Louise ready we've been fattening her better for we she's got the biggest bail Bob ever seen we need he's a big boy we need a big bow boy bring the bag boy make sure he's healthy because mr. Rose wants to live a long long time don't bring me teddy it's not so good Teddy sleeps all the time so that pig is smoking you see a pig it's not the one we want no we won't avoid it but who is the young with the big one the right one yes you don't want smoke though you made these three movies in which you play a bad guy right was there some need in you was there some reason you wanted to go out and and tackle things that you hadn't done before I wanted to hear people to understand the inner self this I never meant to hurt anybody that shouldn't have been there that should never look to me that way I wanted to get it I had the diamond then I had to get my head was like a fishable and the bubbler was broken I had and that's a bad mother therapist to go ask him about that but yeah I guess that as an actor wanting to play those characters because as Eddie Hopkins said there no long longer bound by the laws of likeability yeah that you have a character that is can be so you know and in this case so kind of normal hyper normal and banal in many ways that you no longer have to be charismatic and we went out of our way to take away all that Mike right off the bat Marc designed the makeup with Sheree means to be very much totally opposite of Who I am you know thinning the hair bonding the hair our class is closed I would not want to keep the single item close it if you set on fire even the fire would go oh boy alright do you specifically aware of the fact that you don't want people to see Robin Williams you want him to see the character that's where we start a front and that's why it was great to have mark because he would monitor it very much and say oh that that's not sigh yeah and it was great to have because it's it's it's about once again it's all the details of minutia everything and that's the sets it's all part of it it all fits in that someone said another thing one day I was walking in the Walmart and I disappeared that's a great compliment it means you don't see Robin yeah I mean but also they didn't see sigh yeah that he disappeared and became heart of it yeah and that that that type of detail is been really lovely and interesting to have and it's the thing that you said yeah and Arbus said that the more detailed you are in your work the more universal it is yeah and the behavior and all those little things that people people have come up to me after and said I love your shoes and went thank you no I mean in the movie and they love the fact that when I walk you know it's attacked yeah that kind of the squeak enos of everything gets under people's skin the the sound the images that's a great thing do you have to put brakes on an instinct to improve no because the like we talked in the beginning I would have moments to just blow the doors off I couldn't be if I got method and sometimes even marker to say you're getting too gentle because have a gold method and be I gotta do this and we going indeed go just blow it up for a moment I go blow it up then come back and be very free and be very kind of calm there's kind of a residual energy that you said existed afterwards which was great blood I think it you know there's a lot of tension that's created because we know Robin Williams from you know talk shows and the comedies and the stand-up so we know that he's got this vault volcanic amount of you know of energy so when he's playing this very repressed restrained character we know he's repressing on volcano and that creates a lot of tension if another actor we made suspect he's you know we're pressing a hiccup it's not as tense put it out yeah and the kid keeps that going and you're just you charged up but it helped to have a kind of freedom to go off and then you come back and then there's this thing where you're very much there and present and people would say that they're you know registering when you're just watching something that they would pick up on a lot of things when that's very good that's what we wanted that you when you have a character most the time is just observing yeah which is a very interesting delicate line the walk where you have you're looking at other people and you have to be with this kind of mixed bag of envy anger all these different things kind of going through not just one emotion but many like as in life where you're lots of things are going on simultaneously which is great I don't know how to ask this question but I'm interesting the answer is it where do you where are you and where do you want to go now in terms of this with what I'm a new here the same I want to keep doing interesting movies like this and you know I'm I'm 51 so I'm in getting towards Walter Brennan play quite a catches but I want to do interesting films work with interesting people and you know that's because you get to a certain point you say what are you leaving behind and if it's movies like this I said great you know it's something that has an effect and it you know kind of has a you know has a half-life that's a wonderful thing doing the stand-up has another thing that it seems to get it affects people in a way and to have access to both it's like you know black said having passports to many countries that I get the passport to do the HBO and then get the passport to do this and it kind of takes people by surprise but that's great so people keep guessing that year would be one of Robin Williams most prolific 2002 saw him store in three feature films and an HBO special and after 16 years he return to stand up they would think that that comedians may have a certain brand of friendship because boy it's time you know it's a tough love because if it's a tough love business and you could in the beginning everybody was hanging out of the club just watching a play and you were there together and then it kind of you're kind of gorgeous shared pain Oh mutual here we are their dead men walking he said men talking and take that thing of you know and then it kind of go your separate ways but you still you'll see people and go oh what's up you know yeah and it's it's very interesting like I saw Richard Pryor a couple of like a month ago he came up and he wanted to go see Sam to see nuts and Clinton come on you want to see Alcatraz yeah took him to the island it was amazing to Richard Pryor to Alcatraz yeah and he and he got him off to yeah but he just wanted to go see it and it was amazing you call you and say or just somebody sobbing no San Francisco I know you do bro yeah taking it to God you know Willie to you know we do it now yeah we're bound hardest-working man in show business whenever I look at brother please I want to say this is an honor no just a please Willie Brown working the room yeah but it was so good so him and Jonathan winters I you know he came up the word thing is for Jonathan his wedding anniversary of September 11th yeah rough day so yeah I took him to a Giants game and you know it was so great to have his wife up and you know just he had a good day and for me knowing him meeting comedians like Jonathan Don Rickles yeah yeah man that's just and you see like a little splitter oh brother but more like uncle are like the the master the sense high Buddha yeah when you're on Jonathan it's like being around the great oh I remember one day I did a great thing a man was kissing a woman in front of us and they were doing it for a long time and he leaned over and said he's sucking the ugliness out and not so loud but you hang out with those guys and you can't help but feel you know and someone like I got to know Rod Steiger before he died and for me the stories he would just you just want to you want to get that stuff on tape sometime so people could hear all the stuff that you know these guys have gone through like Walter Matthau and meeting those people or the few times the one that once or twice I met Billy Wilder that there's such a gift that they give you these this kind of sense of history but you know it's like a knowledge born of you know great great history like Walter being in the Battle of the Bulge and Stargirl you're Walter math I was in the Battle of the Bulge victim and doctor was on a destroyer serious but yeah oh yeah and these guys will tell you in those stories alone you like this and then they'll tell you you know being in plays and booing doing Moo and then it's this amazing thing because all those guys who came out of World War two kind of went into acting is kind of like this thing you do on the GI Bill yeah like Steiger said he went to an acting class because he heard girls were there yeah it wasn't kind of the theaters going there's tricks I know no that's crazy I don't know what the two of you a lot of actors got started that way a lot - its - yeah what's that girl doing hey hey Doc they all got the comic making level that was wonderful what show did you see first a section in said oh yeah that thing no that's all a very low low yo yeah bring it back from I remember like yo from 1929 do you ever yeah I think about like winners somebody ought to be sitting with him and having yeah forever conversation about recording I got a call last night from a friend of mine saying I just had this happens to me a little bit and I don't have time to do as much of it as I want to and he somebody said to me I had the most amazing dinner last night and he named the guy that he had dinner with he said he's got the most fabulous stories Garman about the beginning of Hollywood oh yeah and he said you have got to talk to the Guru you know get it exactly you have to get it down and you know in some and some medium that won't go away yeah yeah I remember but you know you hear from all of them and they tell you stories that you're just going home yeah and it's you know it's like hearing the first you know the audition tapes of you know Jimmy Stewart o-line you know you want to hear all these things and you know and they tell you stuff that you just dissed erekle and but also powerful you know coming through the depression you know making movies and you know being in movies but like people that they got Bogart talking you know Rickles and all these people and there's this amazing interaction and meeting Brando I got to meet him once and it was insane it was wonderful to see him just to the Rob this man I'm just going oh yeah there he is younger I don't know it's crazy given a bother but do us it's he's an amazing guy all of these guys have so much to tell and teaching that's Brando actually put together an acting class and you know don't put it on tape yeah you know didn't he get guys like you to help me yeah people came and showed up but I wouldn't use what he's doing is kind of doing what you talked about giving back and but you know saying kind of sharing what he knows and it's sometimes he'll ramble on stuff I don't know what that means buddy but he's sake but also but sometimes just says let me go whoa it is that kind of Buddhist moment yeah you do have it I mean there are moments in which you just say yeah there is n : e and in the sample and then there's a time some show business in those days there was no movies we were just doing this in front of a cave wall how many cro-magnons does it take a light of fire and it was all of this stuff that they tell you yeah I think you have to get it on tape and it helps to have people just you know being like a catalyst in this letting them go because they'll tell you stuff and it's all then they want to tell you stuff you know and it's important because it's something it's like the verbal record or visual verbal and visual both because they light up because you see him talk about it and they just remember it yeah and it's like oh yeah baby to have an audience again it's for an audience or someone yeah it's the audience again combined with yeah and remembering it again science is an interest of you always kind of fascinated by it it's kind of my brother start off as an optical physicist and then teaches science any Memphis optical physicist yeah we are basically yeah what's that for yeah like you know but I'm always kind of fascinated by it and you know the potential for them you know especially when they're talking about the human genome here were the things of you know working on you know send in the clones yeah is it what are you doing nothing I met a Nobel Prize physicist what did you do I've developed a specific gene therapy for a very specific form of cancer and it's it really will solve our problems for the next 20 years and he said what are you doing is it I'm just having one but you meet them and they're very regular quietly we've solved the problems we're gonna have the brain sinks yeah we're basically worked out you know we got total neuro Citian are you doing what you do yeah compelling choice to tell me ya know am I going to show Peter Lord says I made face I like to make faces why won't they let me into the I never did anything wrong and it's never hurting anyways is that from there was uh oh actually he had a couple but it was an M which was you know but that was in German but he had that he did a monologue once on a television show where he talked about my head is like a fishbowl and everyone sees inside I can't imagine Ed Sullivan going how is Peter Lorre right now ding a a wonderful my log from psycho doing a for incredible sociopaths what musical instruments do you play I tried to play the saxophone once in a great hit this wonderful slash saxophone player said don't hurt it I'm gonna stir me you know because I do anything yeah you don't your finger it's really like a woman not like you're trying to grab yourself it sounds like a way of being you know sodomized let it go yeah my favorite is he listening those old blues records oh oh man you like you and Bonnie Raitt's going out to find all these great old blues all round I remember there were nine 1527 Joe got out of prison for the seven times I wrote this song called stay away from me I can't remember all the words but this song I was written after a night of lovely evening with a woman who I found out later on was the name we had ourselves some wonderful oh yeah it was all we now know all right good night I say look down on your signs you greeted me with a happy surprise yonder No when Robin returned to this table five years ago the quick wit and self-deprecating humor was still there but now he was having health issues and my friend became a bit more reflective on both his career and his life so what are you doing in weapons of destruction self destructs of origin talking about pretty much everything everything that's kind of happened the heart surgery I mean the idea of even the valves they gave me the choice of getting new different valves the porcine valve which I said is wonderful you already inoculated for swine flu and you can find truffles yes and a bovine valve which is great as you can grab standing up most stubborn weight and play in the dirt playing how are you doing and then college kids tip you over it not yet but and and I thought you know because you have two daughters you find yourself getting very emotional and yeah I thought I got so emotional I thought instead of a valve that gave me a tiny vagina I know it sounds like an Elton John wait so when did you know you were not doing so well I was doing I was out on the road doing the tour initially and I would finished shows and just beat just burnt like this is more than exhausting something else is going on you know you get that really rundown thing and then when they they went and they looked at the valve they did the angiogram right it was kind of weird and it was just like the leaking was like and then is causing you oh yes and look at you Charles with your French valve we had to look a long way to find a nice piece of you for him bring the nice brush for Charles I see no Charlie these are the choices you have here look a cow big chicken heart if you want that's small but you lay a good fresh a big horse because then you can hang out of the shots how proud will you be there look at Charles he's happy to be here but it's crazy I mean all of that stuff has been part of the yeah and but how do you feel today wonderful I'm like 98% there I think Letterman when I talked to him and he said quintuple bypass I know he said that he almost really went down for their time I think they went in and like hours he was coming he said I well I think he went for checkup and he said you're going to an operation in an hour he said oh yeah an hour Oh victim yes I had a doctor in Miami who wanted to operate the next day and then I there's a wonderful Italian surgeon who was kind of standing like you may not want to go with a guy who wants to go on vacation you know so you get to pick I was I had the luxury of being able to look for the best doctors yeah I finally found one who'd done 4,000 surgeries all of them amazing all of some success yeah you don't want to go it's done six three didn't go so well okay let's see whatever you do like a Vegas dealer okay everybody let's try this so and you you were how long we in recuperation about I think it was like three months literally to come adjust to the ready to go back out again go back you feel better today yeah I do actually I mean I do too I mean much better oh that's the idea no you don't wanna be going nice I'm getting a lot of oxygen to my brain now though yeah it's really member things you appreciate the little things like breath leaks I know and that idea you do it is much better yeah I feel I'm bad it's wonderful you were here at this table when I had my first try my first valve transplant here it is good look at it thank everybody you know what happens to me as I walk around the street people will look at me I'll say yeah it's nice this vehicle you got what do you have what I had had been altered what do you ready from a pen yeah what are you doing go come over here Robin you got to pull this hair it's through the park I told him right there ever since he had that transplant he's gonna pull up my carriage to the park it's been so great has to stop once in a while yeah but that's all right it's my doctor could I maybe get another point Minh here's the deal I need two horseshoes yeah and how's that mayor what do you mean a stud fee how old am I for butter how you doing welcome to the genetic thing eventually go how's that feel good since I had that pig valve foot in a lot of people saying it has affected me Charlie so that's a good thing now here we go Robin hides Michael on line two what are you doing no one knows it's my boy Gil I don't know you know Bob yeah every sense of genetic research has come through and the Botox is working in a kid to happy how you feel you feel better so she elephant what are you doing that's the next step you know that people are gonna know now you see people get those little contact lenses with the goat I how are you doing hey thanks charlie yeah that was good was that that was fun that was one of the best that was a wild riff that was free-range Hey look that's that when you go open field Charlie gives you open to you hey Dad you're gonna fall - that's right how much of this is simply natural comedic Talent I mean life in you Lenny Bruce said it best you start off trying to when you near the attention of your mother yes just for one of these you need this thing on and then you work from there and then I think it beyond sourcing mother please laugh at me cuz I'm so thirsty maybe now that was funny but it's maybe that was yeah good luck I think as it goes along it becomes something you learn in you work on and then but the moments of likely if you do get like the open field like you saw the other thing it's just sometimes you just get a gift and you go with it yeah but that's a gift I mean I don't know ten I would say touch that's it Oliver Sacks you can say with voluntary Tourette's you know and that's why I think even you look at your Biden and Joe says things and even people Tourette's go no no Joe Joe Joe but I think sometimes it is both yeah it's a nice combination of the two yeah there are a few people that can do what you do and mean that are actually out of institutions synthetic got it yeah there's a few and there's and there's and there's the older ones like Jonathan winters yeah younger ones like Patton Oswald and people who are just free and missed and you just then they can go anywhere with it which is kind of wonderful Jonathan was your hero victim still his silly husband and whenever I hang with where does he live he lives in Santa Barbara and it's great cuz you'll see him and he'll be he'll talk to people a woman when he character yeah well not really in character once you can character kind of any character to be hard to pick one he once parked in the handicap parking zone a woman said you're not handicapped anyone madam can you see inside my mind at that point oh god he's amazing just oughta hang with him as the best cuz he just goes when it is he ever on television doesn't do anything anymore yeah there's a lot of different things I mean I prefer to do more but I think the idea of seeing him is always the best yeah and he's you know he's for me he's the Buddha he's the one that kind of thing careful that I got from him well when you Nageotte need a recharge or big team you'll see him or call him and just go alright yeah I'm sitting in a half-full Indian Head nickels I'm trying to walk from all hello mr. Wilson yeah Robert Wilson I love send me money but he always makes me laugh and that's kind of the thing you go to him and I go all cool most of it I got to hang out with recently Mort Sahl who's amazing that's you know anymore the best when you went into television and then went into film with good morning Vietnam and all of that was it a sense of coming home for you who's that was what you were trained to do a Juilliard you weren't trained to do stand-up at Juilliard no I mean doing television I mean it was well the television was more like stand-up acting man when I finally did movies I was like that was what I was trained I mean that's kind of like so that came easy to you when you made that transition no not easily I mean because at first when you're doing film example I was doing the world according to GARP and I improvised and the first day of she directed after I got George working yeah and I improvised a line and yeah yeah he made a face like this like yeah not good anyone know say the lines yeah say the lines and commit to the anyone okay and that was the first great lesson second great lesson came from Peter where we said you know you have great power listening you know what really went yes that's the second part of the equation when - when you listen to someone it's quite fascinating and and stillness is very powerful and what second great list you know and third great listeners always find out we're catering it but it was the idea of these guys were giving me these great lesson listen to his great yeah and the idea of really listening in the idea of what it means to be engaged in listening and you find and the other great gift was Jeff Bridges who said whenever there's an accident in terms of filming not like something really falling down but a line may get flubbed if something goes off he said that's a gift because that forces you to be in the moment and deal with it rather than trying to improvise and create that it's something that happens and everybody's respond to the respond to the changes respond to what's going on immediately and it is another kind of oh cool and don't be afraid to try those things and it forces everybody to kind of engage as in life within the immediate moment some I think he has a very good movie I just getting a whole enormous attention is one of the great American actors could agree more yeah and he's underappreciated cuz I think he's so natural the people think that's just him even each and every one of his performances is different and iconic yeah in like you know the great Lebowski the dude is one of the great stoner characters of all time yes indeed if in California it's a documentary what does iconic mean I think it means something that really just stands that it is for me if someone's doing an impression it's out here that becomes iconic like Chris Walken is iconic and beyond and it's something that just stands on its own yet is so distinctive stop talking to him don't you Oh Chris walk because punctuation is gone it's a friend once saw him he was standing in a puddle with his sucks and everything is it's just in his socks and a friend said what are you doing he said today I'm an alligator and then what they asked him let him he said Chris V get anything anything you you could have what would you want is it a tail because then you know if I was happy my tail be up and this and would always move according to your emotions I'm surprised it question mark punctuation great now maybe it's good yeah who else do you do that you love Nicholson's the best just because he's he's so out there he does things I love the fact everybody in the departments are doing hardcore Boston accents he's gone I'm not go in there just out on my own this is who I am when he won his third Academy Award I was standing with him I just won mine and he stood up and he was standing next me when Rob oh I've got one for every decade good for you isn't it what a great night for me yeah have you ever bought that there's some connection between I mean graduating life here and no I mean I've comedic talent well committee tell us the way that you know survival mechanism yeah I buy into that it becomes that you because you they went through it and they it was part of the how they got through it I mean Richard Pryor said here you had to be the funniest guy around because just an I could crap kicked out of him you know and the idea of it was also him dealing with the childhood of his mother being you know I'm you know working in a whorehouse and the idea and the comedy and when he really found characters you know cuz Richard Pryor when he started off as doing like Cosby and he said that and then one night it snapped anyone I'm not doing this I'm not trying to be in this and he found this other side of him and it tapped into the anger and all the other things but he was funny with it so he can get it out yeah I mean he's one of those that everybody honors now victim I mean they really I used to see him performing at the comedy store getting ready for a stand-up and it was he's the most amazing thing because people wanted to do mudbone eagles oh you people huh you do it yeah I do characters and yes you could see him just big become just by these characters and it was just amazing to see him do and just and go free-range with it and then as soon as it was over I could see him and he was just kind of like you could see the catharsis of it cuz he was totally free on stage he can get out the damn it did you have to get our demons I don't know know where we are come on Dawg don't you go on your back nobody mother given seen it blown your bags golly where we goin up goin to a strip club today it'll be fun it'll play well with the wife the demons will be here there no they're more like spirits in there in a glass oh they were dr. Jekyll mr. Jack candies you know an optimist sees the glass half-full the pessimist sees at half-empty now an alcoholic goes where's the bottle I became an alcoholic even thinking about listen thanks for the vodka Charlie yeah you're okay today totally okay that's not it's not okay I'm better and also feel great it was kind of wonderful but did you go through certain kind of whatever yes I went through a certain kind of whatever three years of heavy boredom or whatever that's a night what are you doing welcome to the whatever Center hi hi hi my name's well I have a problem is that the way they actually do it you have to stand up and say I'm I'm not minute I have a problem with whatever I'm whatever funny I'm whatever looks like you're looking at whatever yeah when I'm whatever whatever oh did you do a lot of whatever yeah I should do a lot whatever wake up if you'll never get you down yeah we got me out to air yeah wait what's your name oh my god well that's my valve ah man that's totally shut up yo you baby yeah there was a problem with that and then I went to rehab in wine country just to keep my options open but it came out the other side one yeah and how are you different when you came out the other side dry thanks a lot dryer and I think sober and also able to experience life and go it's really amazing it's kind of before the heart surgery one of the more sobering moments of just going life is extraordinary I don't want to miss it you know oh man it's a gift and I'm doing and to be spending most of time there uh-huh where were you god you're absolutely right come back that is echoing oh look and then you realize you do have family friends and people go I appreciate you and now I could ex remember what we're talking about how cool is that that's kind of the gift you know yeah and it's the that's those things that you just gratitude that's the simple gratitude of like yeah it's good always one guy said everyday above ground you know much nicer but it's all those things I really appreciate the stand up make you a better actor yeah makes it mean stand ups are fearless in that way cuz you gotta be you got to put it out there and the acting gives you the concentration and like you'll see a lot of standards from the act they're really they're not afraid to just be and to be warts and all which is kind of what comedy is to and that's what's interesting that's the same thing like when uh Patton Oswalt in a movie called big fan and he's he's fearless and he's not is not funny but just playing this wonderful kind of nebbishy awkward guy but as a stand-up you mean he's not afraid to talk about anything and I think that kind of helps is acting the same way for me the stand-up it just gives you this outlet that you know and you don't have to worry about them and also the idea you don't have to always be likable this character is not like Louisa nebbish mmm you know like when I saw the movie A Serious Man have you seen that oh yeah yes yeah that man did I clone brothers that's so that's such a nebbishy character and by the end you you feel such sympathy but you want to go wake up these people out if Meshuga wake up plus Marsten man and you would just want to smack get out yeah it's pretty crazy that way but a stand-up I like both I still keep doing both I'm struck by the fact that Jerry Seinfeld wanted to go back you wanted to go back and become someone's economics but I think it's more personal I think it's more I don't think with Jared's you know it's not really not economic all I think it's do you get the joy from it it is I could say is it a drug there is a fix you get and you also and Chris Rock said it best you said it's like being a boxer you have to get out and have enough material to go the distance like especially if you're doing more than 30 minutes or like an hour now and a half you got to be ready for it and it really helps some who have written about this tour have said it is more confessional almost I think it amides confessional yeah it's it's I mean I think the main thing becomes I come away from the operation with us just that I could save the same thing again gratitude and just me too oh yeah it's gratitude and lives in appreciating life warts and all and whatever coming out the other side of whatever and being able to go yeah man I got all this and looking at all and we're entering a weird way in the country we're going through this transition and we're gonna make it yeah I think we are I think it's gonna be a tightening carry and I think we're gonna come through it get it - yeah and I think because that's when we we deal with it we reach out and weirdly we we about and get angry and we come through and go okay but when it comes down to it we do work together we we sometimes don't play well with others but other times we do and I think we can and I think we're in that process now for me confessional yeah it's a little bit as close as I can be to a confessional as a 58 year old wasp you know you know your mother died no I didn't grow up with that kind of your do best in it I was like you know your mother and I are so happy my mother was a Christian Scientist with plastic surgery so how confessional is yeah there's a Christian view of her didn't it yeah working her time I believe in Mary Baker Eddy like this baby show yeah but God will take it I will take care god it's a wrinkles I need help ah God had a good surgeon you big you'll be fine mm-hmm like a lady on the Botox huh Merry Christmas darling I wish I could express how happy I am merry merry Christmas is a wonderful Botox Christmas almost smiling now gathering around my friends and family that's all I can feel it marries your son Zack funny big time is he really yeah he's funny Cody's funny Cody does a great Chris Walken so he's good at yours no much better are you serious yeah he hasn't really incorporate for me zakah he hasn't uncorked it for you no I mean I think he's kind of been hanging back waiting for the right moment yep Zelda's funny she's uh she's actually been acting which has been great she's done a lot of movies yeah they're what how old are they Oh Cody's 18 Zelda's 20 Zach's 25 yeah and it's pretty wonderful they're all gonna be in show business no no zelda's an actress Zach it was kind of it that's one one all right Zach I don't know he may he's got all sorts of different things he's been dabbling in but he might or not I don't think so what do you think he's gonna do where he wants to go to Harvard Business School so I think show business man unless it's the right place he wants to run things yeah leo yeah go um it was to run Google oh please Netanyahu and Anna cody's are gonna be a writer cuz he's really yes ever since he's been 10 he's been writing really interesting fiction so you see yourself in each of them totally but I also see someone totally different which is wonderful I see a little bit of myself but then I see this other combination a combination of Marsha and myself and then something that's just them which is magnificent and they all turned out really wonderfully you know the middle of periods but they've all turned out to be just great human beings and really you know Zelda acting but else it's more than just acting when people said you know she's a very sweet and kind woman and went that's a great a compliment to saying she's a great actor that's kind of wonderful they say your kids are wonderful people you go then we've done something right you know Robin Williams did many things right he made us laugh and cry and think and feel he lives on especially the hearts of his survivors his wife his brother three children and two stepchildren a giant among us Robin Williams dead at 63 the great thing about having Robin Williams at the table was that you never knew what was going to happen take a look and you'll see what I mean Robin Williams is here the only child of a Ford executive you grew up with mostly it's a fascination to keep him company he later found an audience for his comic talents and frenetic injury or not an injury injury well that he had when I was 12 what are you doing alright let's just start over I'll get the tape rolling we're all agreeing to take to Charlie Rose Robin Williams is here the only child of a Ford Motor Company executive he grew up with mostly his imagination to keep him company he later found an audience for his comic talents and frenetic energy as a stand-up comedian in the late 1970s he first came to national attention in the television series Mork & Mindy yes sir he went on to a feature film career a feature film career thank you sir that produced a string of critical and commercial successes oh thank you sir once again filler goes on hey Hank I'm gonna molest a minion I'm getting a critical a name I'm gonna walk him in there hey oh man thank you this I'm feeling good look at it thank you everybody you know what happens to me as I walk around the street people will look at me L say yeah that's nice vehicle pretty good what do you have what'd I hit happy no dress what did you ready from a pain what are you doing Oh come over there Robin you got to pull this hair it's through the park I've told him right there ever since he had that transplant he's gonna pull up my carriage to the park it's been so great has to stop once in a while yeah but that's all right he's not a doctor could I maybe get another point Minh here's the deal I need two horseshoes yeah yeah and how's that mayor what do you mean a stud fee how old am i before Bobby how you doing welcome to the genetic thing eventually go how that I feel good since I had that big valve foot in a lot of people saying ahead affecting me Charlie so that's a good thing now here we go Robin Hyde's Michael on line two what are you doing no no it's my boy Gil I don't know Bob yeah ever since our genetic researchers come through and the Botox is working you know kids are happy how you feel you feel better since the elephant what are you doing that's the next step you know that people are gonna know people now you see people get those little contact lenses with a goat i how are you doing thanks charlie I am pleased to have Robin Williams back at this table welcome back thanks here's my question oh oh my god is the question 8 inches ha oh oh yeah no that's what I like to do for fishing no just give a nice you know lead out eight inches when you're fly-fishing send it out there and let you know let the bass hook it and then pull on it yeah either that or a piece of c4 yeah so that n that how you but that's good you see the bass fisherman there I don't know what have that thing we put out then the bass or like hmm I like to sit out then you just you know lil c4 and then it come right off Robin Williams for the hour Thank You Charlie Rose Charlie rule that's my main I remember Charlie rules gentle charlie with the two vowels I said Charlie would you get that Parisian valve but now Charlie can come and sing la vie on Charlie hello ah Laguna no love you're sure I'm alone I'm dead that's all for today ladies and gentlemen good night good night thanks let's go let the camera keep rolling it little Charlie Charlie wrong good thing I remember young Charlie rules I said Charlie over there on Charlie even as a child was doing interviews with his bear he would line up all the little animals at a table and he had a little tiny table in the animal and what are you up to Teddy and he had a picture and he had just written down things and even then it could you just looked at the questions and the things and Haven look Teddy how long have you been stuffed and the bear was there and then he returned and the other animals would just look at him and he returned as a rabbit do you feel fear when the rabbit do you feel fear near the small stuffed animal we'll be right back

Channel: Archy L

Views: 417,964

Rating: 4.8703117 out of 5

Keywords: Interview (TV Genre), Charlie Rose (TV Producer), Robin Williams (Celebrity), Comedy (Theater Genre)

Id: HzKv4nzjpzI

Length: 52min 29sec (3149 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 12 2015