Credit: Dead Poets Society/Buena Vista
Ethan Hawke and Robin Williams have both been highly notable names in Hollywood. While Ethan Hawke has had more serious roles significantly, Robin Williams himself wasn’t strictly comedic, and more often than not, each character he played had underlying darkness. That much could be specially held to Dead Poets Society, a movie that starred Robin Williams alongside Ethan Hawke and several younger actors. While Dead Poets Society has been widely claimed as a Robin Williams staple, although not a comedy, the film showcased a unique skill of Robin Williams that combined his comedic and severe sides, but his interactions with Ethan Hawke, far and wide, have been notable for the future of the careers of both actors. Below, we’ve detailed Ethan Hawke and Robin Williams, precisely the tension and overall relationship between the two Hollywood names during Dead Poets Society and beyond.
Credit: Dead Poets Society/Buena Vista
Robin Williams
Robin Williams has long been one of the most outstanding comedians in American history, from his comedic specials to roles on television and movies to his incredible personality, the good he unleashed on the world, and so much more. Robin Williams, in all honesty, could be summed up by the culmination of his Dead Poets Society and Patch Adams roles. Unfortunately, the world lost one of the greatest comedians and actors of all time in August 2014 when it was announced that the actor had committed suicide in his own home following cancelations due to depression. Robin Williams overall, while noted as one of the greatest comedians of all time, has also had highly regarded drama roles as well, beyond Dead Poets Society and Patch Adams, such as Good Will Hunting, and it all started with Robin Williams’ portrayal of Popeye, as well as the television series Mork & Mindy. Robin Williams was one of a handful of comedians honored by Netflix and fellow comedians that inducted them at their dedicated hall in The National Comedy Center during their The Hall: Honoring the Greats of Stand-Up event.
Credit: Dead Poets Society/Buena Vista
Ethan Hawke
While Dead Poets Society has been more widely considered a Robin Williams movie, apart from Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard played one of the leading student characters in the film. Robin Williams’ Keating role widely influenced his character and Ethan Hawke’s. However, Robert Sean Leonard didn’t describe the tension between himself and Robin Williams in such a way that’s similar to what Ethan Hawke has described. Still, the actor noted that Robin Williams helped him acquire his first Hollywood agent following their now-understandable tense relationship on Dead Poets Society. Most recently, Ethan Hawke could be noted for his role in The Black Phone, a Scott Derrickson horror film, the second collaboration between the two, and his aggressive and ominous role in Marvel’s Moon Knight adaptation on Disney+. Outside of notable recent performances named above, Ethan Hawke has also had roles across various genres, from dramas to pure romance films, and highly regarded stints off-Broadway. Ethan Hawke has a daughter with Uma Thurman, Maya Hawke, who can be seen on Netflix most recently in Do Revenge, and most famously on Stranger Things as Robin.
Credit: Dead Poets Society/Buena Vista
Ethan Hawke and Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society
Dead Poets Society, the film in which Ethan Hawke went from irritated with Robin Williams to understanding, was released in 1989 but was set in 1959 when a new student to an all-male prep school, Welton Academy, begins his junior year with a teacher that would change his high school experience, along with select classmates. Immediately upon starting their first class with Robin Williams’ Dead Poets Society character, some classmates became enchanted by his methods and eventually discovered a secret society their teacher belonged to during his time at the school, The Dead Poets Society. The two students most enchanted by the work of Robin Williams’ character were portrayed by the earlier mentioned Robert Sean Leonard and, most notably, Ethan Hawke. Throughout the film, between the school, the students, and the odd-wayed teacher, occasional battles and misbehavior come from the students until one student dies. The student was portrayed by Robert Sean Leonard and committed suicide after his father attended a play that Neil had gotten a role in against his wishes, after his newborn look on life, thanks to his teacher and the Dead Poet Society, and withdrew him from the school, and admitted him to military school. While all of the students that had dedicated themselves had a new outlook on life, just as Leonard’s character did, the death of their classmate under such circumstances changed everything for them, especially Ethan Hawke and Robin Williams’ characters. As the two characters were linked so hard throughout the film, and Ethan Hawke was a young, aspiring, and ambitious actor, Robin Williams was hard on the actor specifically as the talent within him was already acknowledged during Dead Poets Society.
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