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GENERAL INFORMATION
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This show is, especially
in the case of Robin, a combination of a show and
an interview. Normally this show is supposed to be
about an hour long, but we know Robin...he needed
more time. The editors had absolutely no choice, they
HAD to make it longer, otherwise they'd have to cut
too many awesome scenes. Some scenes they left on
the editing floor are for example scenes where Robin
talks about his Oscar nominated movies. Lucky for
us, in 2001 when Robin was still doing the Audible
interviews, they also made an audio version of the
Inside the Actor's Studio interview available, including
some scenes that have never been broadcast on Bravo.
The interview originally aired on June 10, 2001 (season
7, episode 710) and will be released on DVD
on September 16, 2008. |
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INTRODUCTION FROM HOST JAMES LIPTON
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| Trying to categorise tonight’s guest
is like trying to catch lighting in a buttefly net.
As an actor he has received four Academy Award nominations,
for Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher
King and Good Will Hunting. For which he won the Best
Supporting Actor Oscar as well as the Screen Actors
Guild award. He has won 5 Golden Globe awards, for Mrs.
Doubtfire, Aladdin, The Fisher King, Good Morning Vietnam
and Mork & Mindy. He has won the National Board
of Reviews Best Actor Award for Awakenings. As a comedian
he has won 5 American Comedy awards and the People’s
Choice Award as Favorite Comedy Motion Picture Actor.
This is of course only a partial list of his achievements.
But listing them all, we delayed a wonderful moment
when I’m priveliged to say the Actors Studio is proud
to welcome one of his most gifted members….. Robin Williams. |
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QUOTES
[from the audible version]
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What brought
you from Chicago to Detroit? (in
the meaning of WHY did you move from Chicago to Detroit)
- A plane.
- My mother was a Christian Dior Scientist. She was
very....she was really the kinda part of my whole
comedy upbringing.
What about your dad?
- Oh, very elegant man.
Very elegant?
- Yeah, very kinda reserved, except after a couple
of cocktails. He'd go, you know, very happy. Not like
"Wo-hoo, look who's on the table!" No, he
would: "What? Do you want a car?!" I'm 5.
"OK!"
What's your middle name?
- McLaurim. That's Irish.
It is Irish.
- Ya, and then I'm also Welsh, which means every time
so often I have to occupy myself.
Did you get your degree from Juilliard?
- No, I have no degree. I have an honorary degree
from Juilliard which is kinda like a nerve vibrator,
you know. Nice to look at, but doesn't do a lot. I
have no degrees from any collages yet.
[about his kids and why they
are important for Robin and why Robin talked about
Zack in "Live at the Met"]
The amazing thing about them is, they're you and they're
not you. They're the next step. They're all--He [Zachery]
right now is 17, which is a pretty great age. He's
very, very handsome. His head is shaved, he looks
like a marine a lot. But why he's important? Same
reason. And then there's Cody. Cody is, you know,
he is 9. He's very [Robin laughs] he's extraordinary.
I told a joke in the car one day. We were riding in
the car, he was back...way in the back there with
Zelda in the back. We were telling these jokes and
all of a sudden I realised: "Oh, he heard it."
A week later the teacher called and said: "Your
son told a very interesting joke today." And
when the teacher said: "That was inappropriate."
Cody said:" Why? My dad told it." And then
I'm realising: "Oh, great." It's like the
ghost of my father standing behind me going: [laughing
loud] "YES! Revenge is mine!" And then there's
Zelda who's 11 and she's... It's a very interesting
time too, because she's still a little girl, but she's
becoming a girl. And things are changing. And there's
the other thing as a father and you're going the same
instinct with Zach going: "Are you crazy".
It's almost going: "Hmm-mm". You have to
kinda go:"Ok, all right." And there's this
whole other challenge. And that's why this was the
first time on stage that night I was able to talk
about family and him and raising and talk about, you
know, the whole process of a child.
In The Fisher King...Mr Happy at
last had his moment in the sunlight or
if I may say in the moonlight.
- In the moonlight in Central Park? It's
always great to be naked in Central Park,
my friend.
How and when did you shoot that scene?
- We shot it late at night, and it was
cold too [looking at Mr. Happy] "He'll
remember". It's great doing your
first nude scene on a cold night. [imitating
a shrinking Mr. Happy] "Is there
a prop man around? Got anything?"
Mike Meyers described himself to
us as a sight-specific extravert.
- Wow.
And an introvert most of the rest
of the time.
- Wow.
No one is more famous than you for
free-flight extravertion. Is there an
introverted Robin Williams? Does he exist?
Oh my God, what have I done.
- Don't ask the introverted question.
[pretends to be crying]
I'm feeling better. Oh, God. Don't ask
that!
[normal voice] Yeah, there's a very introverted...there's
a kind of a....it's quiet, because you
have to be able for me....That's why it's
great being in New York, or going to Europe.
Especially in Paris, where people are
going:[french accent]"I know you
are, I don't give a shit!. It's crazy,
I know all what you're doing I see you.
Here, look, the baby is smoking, does
that make you angry? It doesn't matter
to me!" [normal voice] But for me
it's great because...it's not just introverted
it just more just like camouflage. Where
you can go out, walk around, see things
and kinda pick up new stuff. And see new
characters and just generally absorb.
But introverted, yeah, and quiet and kind
of... absorbent is a good word.
The students are always interested
in this question: How and when did you
acquire a manager?
- Oh, he's here tonight. Please send you
resume to David Steinberg. If you can
draw a picture of this rabbit! How did
I make this much money and have a boat
for beautiful women? Learn to be funny
in your spare time!
How was Mork born?
- It happened as an audition. I guess
Gary Marshalls kid had seen Star Wars
and thought there should be an alien on
Happy days.
When Billy Crystal was here he was
asked if there's anyone that he envyed.
[Billy Crystal archive footage] Billy
Crystal: "He has a bonelessness and
a fearlessnes and an exploration of his
mind, that you can go "WoW".
Look at what he...look at that, you know.
Uhm, if I was fast tonight, you know,
he'll be faster." [end Billy Crystal
archive footage]
- Wow.
All of us admire the lightning fast
reflexes of great athletes. For those
of us who have not been blessed with your
gift, how do you explain the mental reflexes
that you deploy and are deploying tonight
with such awesome speed! Are you thinking
faster than the rest of us? What the hell
is going on?!!!
- Jesus.[laughter] Damnit man, what 's
going on with you?! I... don't know why.
What is it with your mind? Try to explain
yourself!
[speaking really, really fast in different
voices]
I come from a deep part inside myself
that was actually looking for my mother
but then I saw that moment when she looked
up there and I went: Ok, I'll be funny
for her. [gasps] Ok, that's fine, work
that way. Come back from that and realise
after a while, I wanted to be except...you
liked me, you really liked me...and no,
it's nothing. I can show you I'm trained
and actually show you how intelligent
I am. I could use a word like delicatesse
and know what it means. Or invertebrate.
Or inventorate. Or degenerate. But all
of that... It's all part of it, because
of the mind that actually flows like that,
because I realise that the human mind
is a 3 1/2 pound gland that pumps neurons
constantly and deals with itself by responding
the stimulus that's why we're designed
to do slowly even Darwin is going: "I
have hopes, I had such high hopes!"
It's all part of it. Because I believe
the human mind is adapting and evolving
slowly but surely, but I'm trying not
to speak that fast, because eventually
you have to catch up. But I really do
speak that fast because sometimes when
the mind is actually really working that
well 'cause you actually know THAT: you
caught...you breath...you come back. But
the ideal is to create something different.
Something that moves with the time. No
more China Crouching Tiger hidden CD.
Move out away from moment, take microwave
open door. Pushing sight.
Well, that's as close as I can explain.
It's not really an explanation, it's more
of a bizarre exploration. But like they
used to say it's always strange to try
to explain what works, but it's...for
me it's...there's a joy in it. It is..it
is a drug. It's the joy of...obviously
if it wasn't laughter it'd be pretty rough.
So it helps reinforces and you get the
stimulus and then all of a sudden the
really fun thing is, which why it's great
to be in front of people that know to
play with it. It just pushes you further
and further and you'll try stuff and then
you really do find yourself, which goes
back to that lady that taught the Improv
class, to go to the unknown and really
explore it.
Is comedy genetic? Can it be taught?
Can it be learned?
- Well, look at what our studies have
shown. As we see the historical roots
of comedy we see several cro-magnons looking
at a group of Neanderthalers saying: "How
many Neanderthalers does it take to light
a fire?". The answer is: "None,
they don't have it." All right! Is
it genetic? Is it in the genes? I found
an examening of the comic genes. You find..well,
it's a lot like the example of cloning,
which is a very strange thing. You think
of cloning, the idea of the first cloning
experiment, making the exact duplicate
of a sheep. Who can tell the fucking difference
before? But, is it genetic? No, I think
its nature, nurture and another too. I
think it's--People, I'm sorry I have to
talk like this. Talking like this is rather
difficult. I could easily talk like this
or talk like Stallone:"Gabllili."
But I think--
[woman laughing really loud]
Jesus! That's comedy! When you gotta laugh
like that I swear to God! It all of a
sudden let's it flow.
I think there's a tendency genetically
towards it. I mean, sometimes it starts
with having it in the family, like my
mother. Or like acquiring it along the
way meeting other funny people. And otherwise
it's just anything you want. But it's
like trying to find the right moment,
but yeah, genetically? Yeah, I think it's
about 50-50.
[About kids from
Silicon Valley]
What are you building? A small plasma
laser that I use to torment the cat. I
singe its fur watch its reaction &
I note take this. Where are your parents?
In chrogentic stasis I froze them last
year. How old are you?" [Puts up
2 Fingers] This many.
So sad when you give prozac to a cat.
It just sits in the corner going: "Me"
[About the french]
Look, the baby is smoking, does that make
you angry
I in a previous life, I was catherine
the great's horse.
It's like the old joke. What do you call
a guy with his hand up a horse's ass?
An amish mechanic
[About the Brittish
Royal Family]
Oh stop, it's the royal family. I always
expect him to have a hanjo going (deliverance
theme) look at the teeth, look at the
ears and go something's gone wong, gene
pool's a jacuzzi, back up. That's all
we can do is screw in a lite bulb.
Look at the car, look at the car, look
at the car!.
[Indian accent]
When you realize no one at mtv awards
ever thanks Vishnu. I'd like to thank
skinny g. gandhi, when they asked him
about western society he said: "I
think it would be a wonderful idea".
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CLIPS
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Here're 3 clips available to download.
They're all .mov files and therefore you'll need the
Quicktime
player to watch them.
Clip
1 - John Houseman
Clip
2 - The Fisher King
Clip
3 - Good Morning, Vietnam |
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DVD
INFORMATION
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| Back in 2005, when The Actor's
Studio celebrated its 10th anniversary, James Lipton
announced that the interviews will be released on
DVD. In 2007, they've started releasing some interviews
on DVD and Robin's episode will be released on September
16, 2008.
The interview on the DVD will be different and even
more important, even longer than the original TV broadcast.
The soon to be released DVD will contain 180 minutes
of material.
*edit June 18, 2008*
Now the Amazon page says the runtime of the DVD is
only 50 minutes. As far as I know there's never been
a 50 minute version, so we'll just have to wait and
see what's going to be released. |
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10
LAST QUESTIONS
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What's your favorite
word?
- Cloaca
What's your least favorite word?
- Cunt
What turns you on?
- My wife's laugh
What turns you off?
- Violence towards children
What sound or noise do you love?
- (makes fart sound)
What sound or noise do you hate?
- Screeching of breaks. It always
implies something is gonna happen.
What's your favorite curse word?
- Pussy
What profession other than yours would you like
to attempt?
- Neurologist or theoretical
physicist. Those are the people I kinda admire
What profession would you not like to participate
in?
- Bomb tester
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God
say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
- They're seating the other front.
Or just to hear there's laughter...to hear God go "Two
jews walk into a bar". |
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