Ethan Hawke Reveals Why Working With Robin Williams Was a “Nightmare”: “He Was Extremely Irritating!”

Before Robin Williams became a legendary mentor to Ethan Hawke, he was an absolute nightmare for the young actor to handle. On the set of the 1989 classic Dead Poets Society, the two stars shared a dynamic that was far more tense than the heartwarming bond seen on screen.

Hawke, then a serious eighteen-year-old dedicated to the craft, found Williams’s legendary improvisational energy to be a massive hurdle.

The veteran comedian was known for his relentless jokes and ability to turn any quiet moment into a performance. 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, Hawke later admitted. While the rest of the crew was in stitches, Hawke was busy trying to stay in character, feeling like the punchline of a joke he didn’t understand.

This friction peaked during a pivotal scene where Williams’s character, John Keating, forces Hawke’s character to improvise a poem in front of the class. Hawke recalled feeling a deep sense of unease, convinced that Williams was actually mocking his intensity. After the take, Williams joked that he found the young actor intimidating, a comment Hawke initially dismissed as another sarcastic jab.

It was only as Hawke matured that he realized Williams wasn’t making fun of him; he was actually respecting him. The comedian saw a raw, earnest power in the teenager that was genuinely striking. Despite the on-set “irritation,” Williams was so impressed that he personally called his own agent and told them they needed to represent Hawke because he was going to be a major star.

The experience ultimately opened a new door in Hawke’s mind regarding what acting could be. He watched as Williams frequently threw the script away, making up lines on the fly without ever asking for permission. Robin Williams didn’t do the script, and I didn’t know you could do that, Hawke reflected, noting that this “playful” approach to high-stakes drama forever changed his perspective on the industry.

Fast forward to 2026, and Ethan Hawke has certainly lived up to the potential Williams saw in him. He is currently celebrating his first-ever Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Lorenz Hart in the film Blue Moon. He recently described this milestone as particularly meaningful since it came from a decades-long collaboration with his close friend, director Richard Linklater.

Hawke’s schedule remains incredibly packed, with his new historical epic The Weight premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Starring alongside Russell Crowe, Hawke plays a widower in 1930s Oregon who finds himself entangled with a dangerous group of gold smugglers. He is also preparing for a tenth collaboration with Linklater on a “transcendentalist” period piece, which he boldly predicts will be among the greatest films ever made.

Beyond his own acting, Hawke has stepped behind the camera more frequently, recently directing the biopic Wildcat and the documentary Highway 99: A Double Album. He has become a respected elder statesman of Hollywood, often speaking out about the need to preserve artistic integrity in an era of massive blockbusters.

His journey from an “irritated” teenager to a decorated Oscar nominee is a testament to the mentorship that started with a few misunderstood jokes on a boarding school movie set.What do you think about Ethan Hawke’s realization that Robin Williams was actually intimidated by his serious acting style? share your thoughts in the comments!