‘I thought he hated me’: Ethan Hawke details his on-set tension with Robin Williams while shooting 1989’s Dead Poets Society and reveals he found the late actor’s jokes ‘irritating’

Ethan Hawke has revealed he feared the late Robin Williams ‘hated him’ when they shot iconic 1989 movie Dead Poets Society.  

The actor, 50, spoke about his belief of tension with the iconic star as he reflected ԁսrıոɡ a Q&A at the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Sunday. 

The Magnificent Seven actor revealed: ‘I thought Robin hated me. He had a habit of making a ton of jokes on set. At 18, I found that incredibly irritating. He wouldn’t stop and I wouldn’t laugh at anything he did.’

Despite his fears of contention with the iconic star, who passed away in 2014, Ethan revealed that helped him sign with his first agent. 

He said: ‘He called, saying, “Robin Williams says you are going to do really well”‘…

‘There was this scene in the film when he makes me spontaneously make up a poem in front of the class. He made this joke at the end of it, saying that he found me intimidating. I thought it was a joke.’ 

Now he understands what the late actor meant by it, syaing: ‘As I get older, I realize there is something intimidating about young people’s earnestness, their intensity. It is intimidating – to be the person they think you are. Robin was that for me’. 

Robin took his life in 2014, after being misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was actually suffering from Lewy body dementia – the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s – his family found out after his ԁеаtһ.

Lewy body dementia causes a progressive decline in mental abilities, and those affected might have visual hallucinations and changes in alertness and attention. 

The official cause of ԁеаtһ was ‘asphyxia by hanging’. Toxicology reports revealed Williams had antidepressants, caffeine and levodopa, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, in his system. 

The film festival was held in Czech Republic. It opened August 20 and wrapped up on Saturday, August 28. Hawke received a lifetime achievement honor, the President’s Award, at the annual film event. 

The director took to Instagram on Friday to share the festival from his point of view. 

He posted a photo of an enlarged promotional picture for the festival with his face on it in sepia. 

‘On my way into the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. First time here — the rain provides extra reason to watch movies,’ he captioned it.   

Earlier in August the father-of-four promoted a Barnes & Noble book event for the release of his graphic novel Meadowlark, co-written with Greg Ruth.

‘Meadowlark is a story of crime and coming of age in Texas,’ he told his 460,000 followers. 

‘[It] was born out of our friendship, our childhoods, and the turbulent joys of fatherhood. We can’t wait to release it into the world,’ he added.

The entertainment industry vet is also using his social media platform to encourage the youth to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

On August 2 he shared a black and white image of his younger self and said, ‘I know this brooding and mysterious young person would’ve gotten vaccinated, but we have to get other young people protected as well. Spread the good word!’

He added, ‘Inspired by [Joe Biden] and [Mark Ruffalo],’ tagging their Instagram accounts.