Robin Williams taught young Dead Poets Society costar Ethan Hawke important lesson: 'Didn't ask p...

&34;That was a new door that was opened to my brain, that you could play like that,&34; the &34;Before Sunrise&34; actor recalled. Robin Williams taught young Dead Poets Society costar Ethan Hawke important lesson: 'Didn't ask permission' &34;That was a new door that was opened to my brain, that you could play like that,&34; the &34;Before Sunrise&34; actor recalled. By Wesley Stenzel :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/WesleyStenzelauthorphoto32b61793a2784639af623f2ae091477e.jpg) Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at . He began writing for EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines October 30, 2025 4:27 p.

"That was a new door that was opened to my brain, that you could play like that," the "Before Sunrise" actor recalled.

Robin Williams taught young Dead Poets Society costar Ethan Hawke important lesson: 'Didn't ask permission'

"That was a new door that was opened to my brain, that you could play like that," the "Before Sunrise" actor recalled.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 30, 2025 4:27 p.m. ET

Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke in 'Dead Poets Society'. Credit:

Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

Robin Williams was a brilliant comedic improviser — and Ethan Hawke says the late actor brought that same spontaneity to his dramatic roles.

In a new interview looking back on his career, Hawke reflected on working with Williams on the 1989 coming-of-age drama *Dead Poets Society*, explaining a valuable creative lesson he learned from watching his costar collaborate with director Peter Weir on set.

"Robin Williams didn't do the script," Hawke remembered fondly. "And I didn't know you could do that. If he had an idea, he just did it. He didn't ask permission. And that was a new door that was opened to my brain, that you could play like that."

Robin Williams in 'Dead Poets Society'.

Hawke said that Weir, who had previously helmed classics like *Witness* and *The Mosquito Coast*, embraced Williams' extemporaneity. "Peter liked it, as long as we still achieved the same goals that the script had," the actor said. "They had a very different way of working, but they didn't judge one another or resist one another. They worked with each other. That's exciting."

The *Before Sunrise* star went on to explain how Williams and Weir epitomized the ideal collaborative spirit. "That's when you get at the stuff of what great collaboration can do: You don't have to be the same, you don't have to hate somebody for being different than you are," Hawke opined. "And then the collective imagination can become very, very powerful, because the movie becomes bigger than one person's point of view, it's containing multiple perspectives."

Kirsten Dunst shares the important lesson late 'Jumanji' costar Robin Williams taught her

Who does Ethan Hawke play in 'Blue Moon'? Inside the genius and struggles of composer Lorenz Hart

Hawke said there's "something mystical" about Weir, whom he described as "a true master craftsman" of a filmmaker. "He thought about making movies with real discipline," he said of the *Truman Show* director. "And I'm watching him direct Robin Williams — not an easy thing to do, because Robin was a comic genius, but dramatic acting was still new to Robin at that time."

The *Boyhood* star reiterated how impactful it was to witness Weir and Williams come together on set. "Watching that relationship in the room — I was four feet away while they were talking about performance — that was something you don't unsee," Hawke said.

Ethan Hawke at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival.

Vivien Killilea/Getty

*Dead Poets Society* starred Hawke as one of several boarding school students under the tutelage of a sensitive new English teacher, John Keating (Williams), who imbues his pupils with a newfound appreciation for poetry. Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, and Gale Hansen starred alongside Hawke as classmates at the fictional Welton Academy.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

The film was a critical and commercial success, tallying $95 million at the domestic box office and earning Oscar nominations for both Weir and Williams. (The filmmaker lost the Best Director category to Oliver Stone for *Born on the Fourth of July*, while Williams was beaten by Daniel Day-Lewis for *My Left Foot* in the Best Actor category.) Screenwriter Tom Schulman won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and the movie also scored a Best Picture nom but lost to *Driving Miss Daisy*.

Hawke currently stars in *Black Phone 2* and *Blue Moon*, both of which are playing in theaters. He also headlines the FX series *The Lowdown*.

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movies"

Read More

---

Source: Movies

Published: November 03, 2025 at 02:38PM on Source: MONDAY MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle