Ethan Hawke opened up about working with Robin Williams on Dead Poet's Society, and revealed that he struggled when the late comedian joked around on set. Chatting onThe Graham Norton Show, Ethan explained: "Robin was incredibly funny, relaxed and inventive and improvised constantly. The more the crew laughed the more he performed. But I really wanted to be a serious actor and had read Stanislavski. I wanted to be in character so didn't laugh at him. The funnier he was, the more steam came out of my ears."
Ethan opened up about working with Robin
However, the actor revealed that Robin spotted his talent, adding: "He really teased me about it and I thought he hated me. After the movie came out I got a call from Robin's agent asking to represent me as Robin had told him I was going to be someone one day. He was a lovely gentle man." Ethan was just 19 when he starred in the film, and the now 47-year-old admitted that his children didn't recognise him when he sat them down to watch it. "Three quarters of way through they asked, 'When do you come on dad?'" he joked. "I said, 'You've been watching me since the start – it was heartbreaking – finally they recognised the old crooked teeth!"
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Ethan is best known for his roles in Reality Bites, Boyhood and Training Day, but revealed he has often missed out on huge roles. He said: "No one can teach you how to pick parts. I once read the script for Independence Day and mocked it because I was arrogant and thought it terrible. When the movie came out I went to see it with my girlfriend expecting it to be awful and it was a massive hit. After the movie she said, 'You're an idiot.' I have blown it so many times!"
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