Bridges said the “Good Will Hunting” star “would get this kind of devilish look on his face” and command the attention of the entire crew: “He was amazing.”

Jeff Bridges recalls Robin Williams ‘busting everybody’s chops’ during ‘late nights’ on set: ‘Brilliant’

Bridges said the “Good Will Hunting” star “would get this kind of devilish look on his face” and command the attention of the entire crew: “He was amazing.”

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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July 10, 2026 8:00 p.m. ET

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Jeff Bridges; Robin Williams. Credit:

Frazer Harrison/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; Theo Wargo/WireImage

- Jeff Bridges costarred with Robin Williams in 1991’s *The Fisher King*.

- The *Tron* star says Williams would “get this kind of devilish look on his face” and “start busting everybody’s chops” on set.

- “Robin was just so brilliant to work with,” he added.

Jeff Bridges is remembering his time working with Robin Williams.

The *True Grit* star reflected on his experience working with the *Dead Poets Society* actor on Terry Gilliam’s 1991 dramedy *The Fisher King* during a retrospective interview with *Variety*.

“Robin, he was amazing,” Bridges said. “I can remember, we’d be working late nights, we’d all be exhausted, and Robin would get this kind of devilish look on his face, and he would stand up and start busting everybody’s chops.”

Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges in ‘The Fisher King’.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Bridges explained that Williams would “just go around like this” while pointing around the room, “for about 10 minutes” — and that Gilliam encouraged his cheeky digressions to continue.

“Most directors would say, ‘Okay, Robin, let’s get back to work,’” Bridges said. “But Terry would egg him on, say, ‘Yeah, but what about him, look at this guy with the glasses!’”

He added, “Robin was just so brilliant to work with. I could go on and on about Robin.”

*The Fisher King* follows a selfish radio host (Bridges) who is swept up in a bizarre journey with a homeless man (Williams). The film earned over $72 million at the worldwide box office, as well as five Oscar nominations, including a Best Actor nom for Williams, who ultimately lost to Anthony Hopkins for *The Silence of the Lambs*.

Bridges paid tribute to Williams at the premiere for his film *The Giver*, which was held on the same day that the *Good Will Hunting** *star died by suicide in August 2014.

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“I’m filled with such mixed emotions tonight,” Bridges said at the time (via *Variety*). “I play the Giver, who is supposed to hold in his emotions, but it’s very difficult for me to be here … losing a dear, dear friend, Robin Williams. I know we’ll all miss him. My heart goes out to his family.”

Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges in ‘The Fisher King’.

Columbia Pictures/Getty

The following day, Bridges shared a photo of Williams on Facebook alongside a message expressing his grief. “I love Robin so,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to his family. He is a treasure chest of creativity and generosity of spirit to us all.”

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That same day, Bridges shared another memory of working with Williams from the production of *The Fisher King* during a *Giver* press conference.

“Robin is just wild and free. He’s just, ‘Let the wild pony dance!’” he said as he recalled filming a key scene alongside the *Mrs. Doubtfire* star while he was “nude and naked” at 4 a.m. in Central Park in New York City. “He’s rubbing his butt on the grass and saying, ‘You know why dogs do this? Because they can!’ So wild. I just had to share that because that’s what’s going on so strongly and how much I miss him, and I’m sure you guys do, too. What a gift he was to all of us.”

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