Sam Neill recalls Robin Williams being ‘deeply depressed’ even though the ‘world was his oyster’

Sir Sam Neill marveled at how “inconsolably lonely and deeply depressed” his Bicentennial Man co-star Robin Williams was in 1999 despite being in the prime of his career fresh off an Oscar win for Good Will Hunting.

“He had fame, he was rich, people loved him, great kids, the world was within his reach,” the Irish-born Kiwi, 75, wrote in his new memoir Did I Ever Tell You This?

And yet I felt more sorry for him than I can express. He was the loneliest man on a lonely planet.

Sam (born Nigel) fondly recalled having “great talks” with the legendary comedian in his previews on the set of Chris Columbus. poorly reviewed sci-fi comedy-drama, which only grossed $87.4 million of its $100 million budget.

“We would talk about this and that, sometimes even about the job we were about to do,” Neill wrote.

“He was irresistibly, outrageously, irrepressibly, gigantically funny.”

Despite this, the two-time Emmy nominee claimed that Robin was “the saddest person I’ve ever met” and that he “could feel the dark space inside” but “as soon as he opened the door, it was on.”

Sam wrote: ‘Funny things just came out of him. And everyone was in stitches, and when everyone was in stitches, you could see that Robin was happy.

Williams, who was just a Tony away from elite EGOT status, was incorrectly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three months before his August 2014 suicide at age 63, but actually suffered from Lewy body dementia.

The Chicago-born comedian is survived by his widow Susan Schneider and three children: son Zak, nearly 40; daughter Zelda, 33; and his son Cody, 31, from his two previous marriages.

“He was very aware of my father’s struggles with depression, which sometimes manifested as addiction, and went to great lengths to support his well-being and mental health, especially when he faced challenges. It was something that was a daily consideration for him,” Zak said in The Dr Oz Show in 2020.

“The main thing for me was realizing how he did everything possible to support himself while being able to show himself to others. It was clear that she prioritized his mental health for most of his life, at least that’s what I experienced with him.

The 75-year-old Irish-born Kiwi wrote in his new memoir Did I Ever Tell You This: “He had fame, he was rich, people loved him, great kids, the world was his oyster.” And yet I felt more sorry for him than I can express. He was the loneliest man on a lonely planet’

Sam (born Nigel) fondly recalled having “great talks” with the legendary comedian in his trailers on the set of Chris Columbus’s disappointingly critical sci-fi comedy-drama, which only grossed $87.4 million of its budget. of $100 million.

Neill wrote: ‘We would talk about this and that, sometimes even about the job we were about to do. It was irresistibly, outrageously, irrepressibly, gigantically funny’

‘Funny things just came out’: Despite this, the two-time Emmy nominee claimed Robin was ‘the saddest person I’ve ever met’ and that he ‘could feel the dark space inside of him’ but ‘as soon as as he opened the door, he was in’

Williams, who was just a Tony away from elite EGOT status, was incorrectly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three months before his August 2014 suicide at age 63, but was actually suffering from Lewy body dementia (in the photo with his family in 1999)

Legacy: The Chicago-born comedian is survived by his widow Susan Schneider and three children: son Zak (left, pictured in 2012), in his late 40s; daughter Zelda, 33; and his son Cody, 31-from his two previous marriages

Zak said on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020: “He was acutely aware of my father’s struggles with depression, sometimes manifesting itself in addiction, and he went to great lengths to support his well-being and mental health, especially when challenged. It was something that was a daily consideration for him’

Speaking of health concerns, Neill only penned his 416-page narrative, which went on sale Tuesday, after being diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma last year.

“I was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer and that left me with a lot of free time. I couldn’t work and was stuck alone in my apartment and decided I would start writing,’ the Twelve star, who has 1.1 million followers on social media, said on his book trailer.

“It was a dark time for me last year, but writing the book also had a kind of therapeutic effect where I found myself very grateful for so many things. And that light stood out sharply against the darkness. I’m glad I wrote it. It was good for me. It is not a book about cancer. It’s actually a book about life, love, laughter, and all the weird and wonderful baroque things that have happened to me.

Sam will next play villainous JW Wells & Co. middle manager Dennis Tanner in Jeffrey Walker’s fantasy The Portable Door, opening April 7 on MGM+ in the US and Sky Cinema/Now TV in the US. the United Kingdom.

The magical corporate tale produced by the Jim Henson Company also features Christoph Waltz, Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde and Miranda Otto.

‘The book had sort of a therapeutic effect’: Speaking of health concerns, Neill only penned his 416-page narrative, which hit shelves Tuesday, after being diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma last year past.