Ethan Hawke Reveals Why Working With Robin Williams Was a “Nightmare”: “He Was Extremely Irritating!”

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Before Robin Williams was known as a guiding figure to Ethan Hawke, working with him was actually quite difficult for the young actor. While filming the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, their relationship was surprisingly strained, a contrast to the close connection they portrayed on screen.

At eighteen, Hawke was a committed and focused actor, but he found Robin Williams’s famous improvisational skills incredibly challenging to work with.

The experienced comedian was famous for constantly cracking jokes and transforming even the calmest times into a show. Ethan Hawke once recalled feeling frustrated working with him, saying, “I thought Robin disliked me. He was always joking around on set, and at 18, I found it really annoying. He just wouldn’t stop, and I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.” While everyone else was doubled over with laughter, Hawke struggled to stay focused on his role, feeling like the butt of a joke he didn’t get.

The tension between them reached its highest point during a key scene where Robin Williams’ character, John Keating, made Ethan Hawke’s character spontaneously create a poem in front of the class. Hawke remembered feeling very uncomfortable, believing Williams was actually making fun of his serious approach. After filming the scene, Williams playfully said he found Hawke intimidating, which Hawke at first thought was just another sarcastic remark.

Hawke didn’t realize until later in life that Williams hadn’t been teasing him, but actually admired him. The comedian recognized a genuine and powerful talent in the young actor, and was so impressed – despite sometimes appearing annoyed on set – that he personally contacted his agent to urge them to sign Hawke, believing he would become a big star.

The experience completely shifted how Hawke thought about acting. He was amazed to see Williams often disregard the script, improvising lines without needing approval. As Hawke later said, “Robin Williams didn’t do the script, and I didn’t know you could do that.” This carefree approach to serious drama fundamentally changed his view of the entire industry.

By 2026, Ethan Hawke had proven the promise everyone saw in him. He’s now being celebrated for his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, earned for his role as Lorenz Hart in the movie Blue Moon. He shared that this recognition feels especially special because it’s the result of a long-standing creative partnership with his friend and director, Richard Linklater.

Ethan Hawke is incredibly busy. His new historical film, The Weight, will premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where he’ll appear alongside Russell Crowe. He plays a grieving husband in 1930s Oregon who gets involved with a risky group of gold smugglers. He’s also working with director Richard Linklater for the tenth time on a period piece about transcendentalism, and he confidently believes it will be one of the best films ever made.

Ethan Hawke isn’t just an actor; he’s also become a director, recently helming the films Wildcat and Highway 99: A Double Album. He’s now a well-respected figure in Hollywood, frequently advocating for maintaining creative vision in a landscape dominated by big-budget movies.

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2026-01-25 01:15