When
you’re missing someone or something, it’s commonplace to look for
anything to fill that void. So it’s a confusing moment when one of the
foremost fillers of the void is suddenly gone.
Robin Williams, an actor, stand-up comic
and screen writer for more than 36 years best known for his roles in
Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji and Good Will Hunting, but also as the voice of
the Genie in Aladdin and Ramon/ Lovelace in Happy Feet, died on
Monday August 11th from suicide by hanging himself. For the past day, I’ve seen and heard many a “R.I.P Mrs. Doubtfire, Genie from Aladdin”
My initial reaction is one of pain, as a
man’s life has seemingly been reduced to movie characters. It is also
telling, and oddly beautiful, since Williams’ most remembered roles were
much bigger than simply a movie character. His characters felt real and
brought an immense amount of joy and laughter to hearts of children and
adults alike.
But Robin Williams was real. He was a
man with daddy issues, bullied in middle school who started telling
jokes to his mother to get her to notice him. He had what is now
described as “love me syndrome” he wanted and needed everyone that met
him to fall in love with him. And fall in love we did, we loved his
presence, we loved how he made us feel, most importantly we loved his
voices and the oddball gestures he could pull off effortlessly.
Robin Williams made me laugh so many
times. When I was a kid, having problems of my own, feeling unpleasantly
different from the people who populated my world, I found sanctuary
watching this guy on TV who was celebrated for being a weirdo; for
being an oddball; for being silly. He was praised for having a mind
that produced delightful absurdities with great speed. No one told him
to be quiet. No one tried to make him act like everyone else.
Not too long ago, I learnt that one of
the most strikingly distinct human attributes is our inability to see
ourselves as others see us so it’s sad that in those final moments Robin
couldn’t see himself through our eyes, see the man we grew up with and
adored. It’s also sad that it takes death to draw us back to our
childhood heroes, to remind us that those who give are often most in
need of receiving. To remind us that sometimes…even most times, a smile
on the lips and laughter in the eyes are simply masks that cover the
soul that’s hurting inside.
From the entire Sodas&Popcorn team,
R.I.P Robin Williams. The world just got a lot less funny. Guess you had
to go see about eternity.
