When Robin Williams’ posthumous “A Merry Friggin’ Christmas” opens Friday, it won’t be the film producers first had in mind.
“We talked to production company and we said, ‘We need to recut it, we need to restore it. We need to do some work to make it a fitting tribute to Robin,’ ” director Tristram Shapeero tells The News’ Rachel Maresca.
Cast and crew said working with Williams in the emotional father-son flick was an honor for all involved.
“(His character) wasn’t super serious and it wasn’t super wacky,” says Williams’ co-star Joel McHale. “I think in real life people are like that, they become hilarious in how serious they are.”
Williams’ role as a recovering alcoholic and less than perfect father was one of the last things the 63-year-old Oscar winner worked on before taking his own life on Aug. 11.
McHale recalled a touching scene the two shared. “It was pretty emotionally charged, and it was the first time I was ever asked to break down on camera, and we both were breaking down,” he said. “We had to do it over and over again, and the emotion just burst out of Robin.”
Clark Duke, who plays Williams’ son in the movie, calls Williams a hero.
“When you meet one of your heroes, you set yourself up to be disappointed,” he said. “But he was just so great, and it was kind of surprising just how good of a guy he was.”
EWAN SIGNS OFF
Don’t expect to get your “Star Wars” posters signed by Ewan McGregor anytime soon. The Scottish-born actor, currently appearing on Broadway in “The Real Thing,” has some choice words for autograph seekers. “I just sign the Playbills,” he explained. “I think that’s the people I want to speak to after the show, not the ‘Star Wars’ autograph hunters, so if they’re reading this they can all … ” “Sod off,” we helpfully added, to which he laughingly replied, “I was going to say something else but I’m glad I didn’t!”
MAMA MEETS LAMA
On Halloween, the Brady bunch donned dragon costumes — but the next day was a tad more peaceful for Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s offspring. The model posted a snapshot of her 4-year-old, Benjamin, standing in front of the Dalai Lama while she holds almost-2-year-old Vivian. “What an inspiring and kind man … Grateful for this magical moment,” she wrote.
A HAND FOR LONGORIA
That’s a mighty tight grip you’ve got there, Mr. Vice President. Joe Biden embraced Eva Longoria after speaking at a get-out-the-vote rally in Las Vegas. The Veep and the “Desperate Housewives” star are stumping for Nevada Democrats ahead of Tuesday’s elections. Longoria is an old political operative: She was a co-chairwoman of President Obama‘sreelection campaign and spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
FROM ‘VEEP’-Y TO HILARIOUS
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ annual L.A. awards honored a host of celebs, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Downey Jr., Emma Watson and Mark Ruffalo. Louis-Dreyfus got teary listening to “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci introduce her but had the audience in fits with a very funny speech delivered in an exaggerated British accent.
WARM WORDS FOR THE NORWEGIANS
Steven Van Zandt just got back from shooting his Netflix series, “Lilyhammer,” in Norway, and even though it’s chilly there — imagine 20 below — he’s still a big fan of the country. “They’re much more civilized than we are,” he says. “Health care for free, womb to tomb, education’s for free. It’s a much higher-evolved society than ours.” The Springsteen sidekick says the food is much better, too. “A lot of fish, no steroids, no chemicals, none of the junk that we are being poisoned with every day.”
