Christopher Nolan Once Revealed He Wasn’t Receptive to Robin Williams’ Comedy on ‘Insomnia’ Set
Christopher Nolan once reflected on his experience working with veteran actors like Robin Williams back when he was still a newer filmmaker.
Robin Williams was known for being a great dramatic actor as much as he was known for his comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire. In Insomnia, Williams used his dramatic chops when working alongside Al Pacino and Christopher Nolan. But when Williams tried to use his comedy on Nolan behind the scenes, Nolan didn’t take to it too well.
How Christopher Nolan handled Robin Williams’ comedy on set
Nolan cast Williams in the type of role role that the late comedian wasn’t commonly seen in. The actor portrayed the main antagonist in the 2002 feature Insomnia, who was suspected of committing a brutal crime in Alaska. Williams would battle wits with Al Pacino in the feature, the latter of which was cast as the movie’s tormented detective.
It wasn’t the first time Williams played a dramatic role. Movies such as Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting all showcased the actor’s range. But it was the first time Williams had ever portrayed a villain that seemed ordinary on the surface. It was an idea that fascinated Nolan.
“I wasn’t interested in any kind of inversion of his comic persona, some kind of manic villain,” Nolan once told BBC. “What I wanted him to do, and what he was excited to do, was to play a character the likes of someone he’s never played before – an unexceptional character. He’s a guy who, if he was sitting next to you on the bus, you wouldn’t give a second glance. Robin’s never done that before. He’s played bad guys before, he’s done dramatic roles, but he’s never played somebody utterly ordinary.”
But being a natural comedian, Williams would always try to liven up the cast and crew behind the scenes. His attempts didn’t work for Nolan, but they did seem to work for everyone else.
“He likes to perform,” Nolan once told Seattle PI about Williams. “He could see I wasn’t receptive to his comedy between takes, but he was always entertaining the crew. Then I’d say ‘action,’ and he’d just go right into what he was doing. I’ve seen his performance many times, and it’s scarily real. There are moments when you don’t think he was acting at all. He’s an incredible talent.”