The tributes to Robin Williams continue to pour in.
The latest comes from Harvey Weinstein, who produced “Good Will Hunting,” the film for which Williams finally won an Oscar. Weinstein joined the parade of film executives and colleagues who had the privilege of working with Williams and shared a fond memory that captured the spirit of fun and joy that the late actor, who committed suicide on Monday, brought to the set.
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Weinstein’s story focused on a prank that Williams pulled on Stellan Skarsgard, who was playing the far less forgiving professor in the smash hit film. Back in 1996 when the film was made, Skarsgard was new to America, which gave Williams a perfect target for his improvisational genius.
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Speaking on “CBS This Morning” during an appearance to promote this weekend’s YA thriller “The Giver,” Weinstein said:
Robin says to [director] Gus [Van Sant] and me, “Let’s welcome him to America. I’m going to change the script, and Gus, you tell him it’s all about improvisation.” So here’s this scene about mathematic formulas, and Robin comes out and goes, “Jack Nicholson.” And then he does Jack Nicholson. And then Gus, he’s pointing to Stellan, and he’s in a state of shock like a deer, and then he does Jack and he does Bob DeNiro doing the scene, and he’s like doing 15 things, and the crew is totally straight-faced while Gus is shooting, and then Stellan starts to ad lib this Swedish gibberish, because he’s so lost in the scene. And then when Gus yells “Cut,” 180 members of the crew exploded with laughter, and Stellan looked around and goes “What happened to me?”
Weinstein also spoke about sending emails to some of Williams’ closest friends, as well as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the writer-actors that shot to stardom with “Good Will Hunting.”