Overview
- Ethan Hawke recounts in a new Vanity Fair career retrospective that Robin Williams frequently departed from the written pages during the 1989 film.
- Hawke says Williams acted on ideas without asking permission, which opened his eyes to the possibility of truly playing within scenes.
- He describes director Peter Weir’s task as difficult yet productive, noting Weir embraced improvisation so long as the scene’s scripted goals were met.
- Hawke was 18 when the film premiered, and Dead Poets Society went on to earn about $235 million worldwide and multiple Oscar nominations, including for Williams and Weir.
- Recent coverage highlights Hawke’s remarks while noting Williams later struggled with undiagnosed Lewy Body Dementia before his death in 2014.