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Saying goodbye to a comedy legend

Williams filmed scenes from thriller ‘Insomnia’ in Squamish
File
Robin Williams took time out from shooting scenes from his movie Insomnia in 2001, to pose for a photo with Nancy Evans at the Squamish General Hopsital.

In the final scene of The Dead Poets Society, one of Robin Williams’s most famous movies, the students of the character he plays stand on their desks to honour their departing teacher and emotionally exclaim, “O, Captain, My Captain!”

That quote comes from a Walt Whitman work of the same name – repeatedly referenced throughout the film – which was a mourning poem written for the death of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.

This week, the world mourned Williams, after the legendary comedian and actor apparently took his own life at the age of 63.

Known for his manic and scattergun-fast comedic style, as well as for a wide range of roles and characters from film and TV, the Oscar Award-winning Williams filmed scenes for the movie Insomnia (with Al Pacino) in Squamish in 2001. More than a few locals have stories about meeting the star, and how he joked with staff at Squamish General Hospital when the facility was used as a location for the movie. 

My brother-in-law is a Vancouver actor whose talents have earned him a recurring role in the Night at the Museum film franchise, playing a character that comes to life each night along with a statue of Teddy Roosevelt, played by Williams. They had only just recently wrapped up filming in Vancouver for the third installment of the series.

My brother-in-law was in shock and profoundly sad when he heard the news. He described Williams as “amazingly generous” and the kind of person who ended up knowing the names of every crew on set. He said Williams was always prepared as an actor, and seemed to genuinely care about other people. 

He also said he noticed a “marked change” in the star’s mood on the recent Night at the Museum 3 set, and that Williams seemed “very tired and low.” Despite this, Williams still was always ready with a witty joke, so it was just chalked up to exhaustion from a busy schedule. My brother-in-law said he now feels pangs of regret and guilt at perhaps having missed important signs of Williams’s depression.

Maybe that is why his death has stunned and shattered the world even more than the recent passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Glee actor Cory Monteith. 

While they died due to accidental overdoses, Williams, to everyone’s utter disbelief and dismay, chose to end his own life. He brought countless millions happiness, but seemingly could not find it for himself. For many of my generation, he was the funniest adult ever, and his movies, roles and personality were a big part of our childhood. Perhaps this tragedy will shed more light on the stigma of depression and lead more people to seek help for himself or herself, or someone they love.

For the rest of us, we can just ask why, and perhaps stand on our desks and sadly proclaim, farewell, O Captain, My Captain.

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