Ethan Hawke Reveals the Complicated Robin Williams You Didn’t See
Ethan Hawke recalls that even as a young actor on Dead Poets Society, he could feel the complex emotional undercurrent Robin Williams carried on set—an insight he revisited on CBS’s Sunday Morning.
On CBS Sunday Morning, Ethan Hawke looked back at Dead Poets Society and talked about what he noticed about Robin Williams back then. Short version: even at 18, he could tell the brilliance came with a weight.
What Hawke said he saw
Hawke told Tracy Smith that Williams' death in 2014 did not change how he thinks about Dead Poets Society, because he already understood what was going on underneath the charm and speed.
'I was aware of the complexity of his emotional life. I have had a lot of depression in my family, and it was obvious to me that all that power and that charisma came at a certain cost.'
He also described Williams as incredibly sensitive and tuned into the mood of everyone around him. None of that surprised him later on.
The moment that stuck with him
Hawke remembered a day on set when Williams was firing off improvised lines and the whole crew was losing it. Total high. Then Hawke ducked out for water or a bagel and found Williams alone, tucked away in a dark corner, just trying to catch his breath. That contrast told him a lot. As Hawke put it, the work and the attention were taxing.
Context worth remembering
Dead Poets Society went on to be a full-on classic, pushed Williams' fame even higher, and gave Hawke his big break. Williams later appeared in more than 70 films across four decades. He died by suicide on August 11, 2014. Hawke, now 55, says the film itself didn’t change for him after that; he had already seen the complexity up close.