Robin Williams

The Director And Makeup Artist In Night At The Museum Admitted Robin Williams Was Not Himself During His Final Performance

His peers started to see a change in his behavior, and that included Shawn Levy, Robin Williams' director in Night at the Museum.

Robin Williams enjoyed a spectacular career, however, fans still can’t help but to think what his career would’ve looked like had he appeared as The Joker, or got cast in Harry Potter like he wanted to.

Nonetheless, he brought smiles to millions of faces for years, and that held true during his final film, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

Despite the success of the film, Robin struggled behind the scenes. His director details the late actor’s struggles, which included late night phone calls about his performance. Williams was suffering from LBD during his final days, and it was affecting his performance and mental capabilities.

We’ll take a closer look at how his last film went, and how he was a different man away from the camera.

Robin Williams Was A Different Man Behind The Scenes Alongside His Wife, Susan Schneider

robin williams
Instar

He made fans laugh for decades, and was a joy to be around according to his peers. However, back at home, widow Susan Schneider shared a different side of the comedian. The two had first met randomly at an Apple Store.

Schneider recalls, “I walked in and saw this man and I thought: ‘I think that’s Robin Williams.’ Then on my way out I happened to look at him again and he was smiling at me and something inside me said: ‘Oh, just go over and say hi.’ He was wearing camouflage print so I said: ‘How’s that camo working out for you?’ And he said: ‘Not too good – you found me.’”

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Susan would go on to reveal that Robin was a different man behind the scenes, who had other interests.

“Robin and I loved to go to museums together. He was a big history buff, so he would bring the history and I would bring the art side and we would double our fun. People tend to assume that the guy he was on stage was the guy he was at home, and let me make it clear: I would never marry somebody like that.”

Sadly for Williams, things would start to shift later on in his life when was diagnosed with Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia. His peers started to see a change in his behavior, and that included Shawn Levy, his director in Night at the Museum.

Director Shawn Levy Revealed Robin Williams’ LBD Diagnosis Caused Him To Struggle On The Set Of Night At The Museum

Just prior to his passing, Williams’ last role came in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Things were different, given his LBD diagnosis. This meant that the actor had fluctuations throughout the day with his mental function, caused by an impairment to his motor functions.

Director Shawn Levy noticed some of the changes. He revealed alongside People, “I would say a month into the shoot, it was clear to me — it was clear to all of us on that set — that something was going on with Robin.”

“We saw that Robin was struggling in a way that he hadn’t before to remember lines and to combine the right words with the performance.”

RELATED -Robin Williams’ Sons And Daughter Live Far From Ordinary Lives Years After His Passing

Levy would go on to reveal that he got several calls from Williams, who was unsure of his performance.

“When Robin would call me at 10 at night, at two in the morning, at four in the morning, saying, ‘Is it usable? Is any of this usable? Do I suck? What’s going on?’ I would reassure him. I said, ‘You are still you. I know it. The world knows it. You just need to remember that,’ ” Levy adds.

“My faith in him never left, but I saw his morale crumbling,” Levy says. “I saw a guy who wasn’t himself and that was unforgivable.”

RELATED -These Robin Williams Movies Revealed Aspects Of His Personality That Fans Had No Idea About

It was a tough reality for the late actor who clearly didn’t feel like himself at the time, and that held true for the way he felt about his performance and in the film.

Makeup Artist Cheri Minns Recalls Robin Williams Constantly Crying Behind The Scenes

robin williams night at the museum
via IMDb

Cheri Minns would also discuss her experience alongside Williams during his final film. Minns admitted that the actor was not himself, and cried about not being able to be himself in the film.

“He was sobbing in my arms at the end of every day. It was horrible. Horrible,” makeup artist Cheri Minns recalled with New York Post. “I said to his people, ‘I’m a makeup artist. I don’t have the capacity to deal with what’s happening to him.’ ”

He just cried and said, “I can’t, Cheri. I don’t know how anymore. I don’t know how to be funny.”

It was a tough experience, but fans will always remember Robin’s brilliant performances, and how he was able to bring a smile to anyone’s face and light up any room.

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