‘I was laughing hysterically because I had so much to deal with’: How Robin Williams helped Steven Spielberg with his most difficult film

In 1993, Steven Spielberg released two films that couldn’t be more different, but both made cinematic history, each in its own category: Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List.

As Filmstarts recalls, the first film was exactly what was expected of Spielberg at the time – a mega-blockbuster adventure. Schindler’s list, a black-and-white Holocaust film, was a huge (and difficult) step in the director’s career. Although Spielberg has already tackled other historical themes with The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun, bringing the greatest crime in human history into a Hollywood film would be a difficult task for any director – even Martin Scorsese turned down the project.

Spielberg himself was not the only one who doubted his ability to make such a film – others shared his doubts. Before the film was released, some people said that its style was too “blockbuster” for such a heavy and serious feature film. His distinguished colleague, the Australian director Fred Scaffisi (of many), even advised him against it, and some Holocaust survivors also considered it a poor choice…

Devastated, he still accepted this difficult task and even refused the studio when the latter demanded that there be more Hollywood moments in the film. Making the film was just as difficult: Spielberg, as the son of Jewish parents, had family members who lost their lives in concentration camps, and in this context it was especially difficult for him to face the atrocities he was re-enacting day after day.

In addition, the film crew in Poland was surprised by a very uncomfortable winter, with temperatures as low as 15 degrees, and neo-Nazis left anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas on the set. Ben Kingsley even got into a fight with an anti-Semitic German businessman in his hotel bar.

Robin Williams to the rescue

When he learned about the director’s difficulties, Robin Williams, who worked with Spielberg on Hook and became his close friend, decided to cheer him on from afar.

“Robin knew what I was going through and once a week he would call me on time and stay on the phone for 15 minutes.– said Spielberg at the 25th anniversary screening Schindler’s list at the Tribeca Film Festival (USA Today). “I was laughing hysterically because I had so much to take away.Spielberg also noted that the actor never officially said goodbye to him, but simply hung up when he laughed.

This (and regular consumption of episodes Saturday Night Live) finally helped Steven Spielberg Go through the grueling shoot that eventually created the seven-time Oscar-winning masterpiece, considered one of the most important films about the Holocaust and the world of cinema in general.

You can watch Schindler’s List on Amazon Prime Video.