You’ve probably seen the posters. The ones where a bearded, soft-eyed Robin Williams stands next to a younger, intense Robert De Niro. It’s the late eighties, and they’re filming Awakenings. On paper, it was a collision of worlds that shouldn't have worked. You had the frantic, mile-a-minute improv king from San Francisco and the legendary, brooding method actor from New York.
People expected a clash. Or at least a very awkward lunch.
Instead, what happened during the production of that 1990 medical drama became one of the most genuine, albeit quiet, friendships in Hollywood. It wasn't just about two stars cashing a check. It was about how Robert De Niro and Robin Williams essentially traded souls for a few months to tell a story about people who had been "frozen" in time for decades.
The Nose Break That Changed Everything
Here’s a story most people miss when they talk about these two. During a particularly physical scene in Awakenings, things got a little too real. Robin, playing the shy Dr. Malcolm Sayer, was trying to restrain De Niro’s character, Leonard Lowe.
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Robin accidentally elbowed De Niro right in the face.
Hard.
Robin was mortified. He was the kind of guy who apologized to furniture if he bumped into it, so you can imagine his reaction to clocking the guy who played Jake LaMotta. But De Niro? He just sat there, felt his nose, and realized it had clicked back into place. Apparently, De Niro’s nose had been crooked since his Raging Bull days, and Robin’s accidental strike actually straightened it out.
"You've done a lot of movies with him," Robin later joked at De Niro's AFI Life Achievement ceremony, "but none of you bastards broke his nose. I broke his nose!"
Robin Williams and Robert De Niro: More Than Just One Movie
While Awakenings is the big one, their paths crossed in ways that felt more like a brotherhood than a professional rivalry. They both showed up in the 1987 documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, lending their voices to the letters of fallen soldiers.
Then there’s the 2013 film The Big Wedding.
It’s not exactly The Godfather, let’s be honest. It’s a standard ensemble comedy. But seeing them on screen together one last time—Robin as the priest and De Niro as the disgruntled father—felt like a victory lap. By that point, they didn't have anything to prove. They just liked being in the same room.
That 2010 SNL Cameo
If you want to see how much De Niro respected Robin, look at the 2010 episode of Saturday Night Live that De Niro hosted. Robin wasn't even scheduled to be there. He was just in town.
Kenan Thompson has talked about this—how they needed a last-minute guest for the "What Up With That?" sketch. They asked Robin, and he didn't care about billing or dressing rooms. He just wanted to play along with his friend. Seeing the two of them sitting there, De Niro trying (and failing) to keep a straight face while Robin riffed next to him, was a masterclass in ego-free performing.
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The Genius of the "Opposite" Method
Why did they click? Honestly, it’s because they both had what the other wanted.
- Robin's Need for Stillness: Robin was famous for the "Genie" energy, but he craved the weight and gravity that De Niro possessed. In Awakenings, he played against type—quiet, introverted, almost vibrating with repressed emotion.
- De Niro's Need for Levity: De Niro is a serious guy, but he has a deep love for comedy. He admired Robin’s ability to conjure joy out of thin air.
- Mutual Respect for the Source: Both men spent months with the real Dr. Oliver Sacks. They weren't just playing roles; they were trying to honor the "frozen" patients of the 1920s encephalitis lethargica epidemic.
There’s a misconception that De Niro is "cold" or "difficult." But after Robin passed away in 2014, De Niro was visibly shaken. When he accepted his Friars Club Icon Award later that year, he dedicated it to Robin. He told the crowd that no one made him laugh like Robin did, but more importantly, he pointed to Robin's "humanity."
He basically said that while everyone saw the jokes, he saw the man who felt everything too deeply.
What You Can Learn From Their Dynamic
If you're looking for a takeaway from the Robin Williams and Robert De Niro saga, it’s about the power of the "unlikely pair." In any creative field, we tend to stick to people who "get us" because they’re like us. But the best work—the Oscar-nominated work—usually comes from the friction between two different styles.
Try this next time you’re working on a project:
- Seek out your "Robert De Niro": If you're the high-energy, "let's try everything" type, find the person who is methodical and grounded.
- Embrace the "Nose Break": Mistakes on set or in the office aren't always disasters. Sometimes they fix something that’s been crooked for years.
- Show up for the "Cameos": Like Robin on SNL, sometimes the most impactful thing you can do for a friend or colleague is just show up and support their lead, even if you’re the bigger star in your own world.
Go back and watch Awakenings tonight. It’s on most streaming platforms (check Netflix first). Don't just watch the acting; watch the way they look at each other. That’s not just movie magic. That’s two guys who genuinely cared about the craft and each other.
To dive deeper into Robin's dramatic side, you should look into his work with Jeff Bridges in The Fisher King—it's the perfect companion piece to his time with De Niro.