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During Robin Williams’ truly incredible career, millions of devoted fans grew to love the incredibly talented actor. Partially because they felt his films revealed parts of who Williams actually was, many of Williams’ most devoted fans felt like they had an actual relationship with him.
Since many of Williams’ fans felt like they had a bond with him, they were shocked to learn secrets about the actor like he had money problems. Years after Williams pledged to never work for Disney again, the actor felt so financially stressed that he took a role in one of the biggest flops of his career.
Robin Williams’ Money Problems Made Him Star In The Crazy Ones
During the late-’70s, Robin Williams was thrust into the spotlight after starring in two episodes of Happy Days as an alien named Mork. A popular character with fans, Williams would go on to star in the Happy Days spin-off series Mork & Mindy.
After Mork & Mindy became a huge hit for ABC, Williams would go on to star in four seasons of the comedy. After the show came to an end, that freed Williams up to focus on being a movie star, and he became one of the most beloved comedy stars in the world.
In the years that followed, Williams would star in smash hit movies like Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, and many more. Williams also earned wide acclaim for his work in celebrated films like Dead Poets Society, Awakenings, The Fisher King, and Good Will Hunting among others.
During Williams’ years as a movie star, he would take occasional television roles typically for a single episode. Then, Williams surprised fans in the early 2010s when it was announced that he was going to star in a TV show for the first time since Mork & Mindy ended in 1982.
Throughout Williams’ career, he proved how talented he was over and over. Between making people laugh uproariously in one role and cry in the next, Williams also proved how hilarious he could be as a standup comedian and during interviews.
Since Williams was such a master at entertaining people, fans had high hopes when it was announced he was starring in a sitcom titled The Crazy Ones. If that wasn’t enough reason to think The Crazy Ones would succeed, the show also starred another successful TV veteran, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Despite the combined talents of Williams and Gellar, The Crazy Ones only got mixed reviews from critics. As anyone who understands television will already know, however, lots of shows have been hugely successful for years despite awful reviews.
When it comes to The Crazy Ones, the real problem was viewers simply didn’t tune in. Due to poor viewership numbers, CBS canceled The Crazy Ones on May 10, 2014, after airing only a single season.
Considering Williams has starred in so many successful movies that are fondly remembered years later, the fact that his show got canceled after a single season was a major failure. With that in mind, many of Williams’ fans wondered what it was about The Crazy Ones that convinced him to make his TV return after so many years.
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When Williams was making the rounds to promote The Crazy Ones in 2013, he was interviewed by Parade. During that conversation, Williams was asked “why this was the right time to return after 31 years”.
Most of the time when actors get asked why they took a role, they go on and on about how the project appealed to them for artistic reasons. On the other hand, when Williams spoke to Parade, he was blunt about the fact that needing money played a huge role in why he agreed to star in The Crazy Ones.
“The idea of having a steady job is appealing. I have two [other] choices: go on the road doing stand-up, or do small, independent movies working almost for scale [minimum union pay]. The movies are good, but a lot of times they don’t even have distribution. There are bills to pay. My life has downsized, in a good way. I’m selling the ranch up in Napa. I just can’t afford it anymore.”
Looking back on Williams’ money problems, it is important to note that “going broke” is relative. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Williams’ estate currently is valued at $50 million, and it appears he was never in any danger of having nothing in his bank account.
Furthermore, a Williams insider told Gossip Cop that a lot of the talk about his financial woes has been “inaccurate” and “not fair”. That said, based on Williams’ own words, he agreed to star in The Crazy Ones largely because of the money, and he couldn’t afford his previous lifestyle at the time.
What Did Robin Williams Think About Starring In The Crazy Ones?
After The Crazy Ones was canceled in 2014, The Telegraph quoted a Williams “family friend” who spoke about how the actor felt about taking roles for the money. “There was also frustration that Robin expressed at having to take television and movie roles he didn’t want to take, but had to for the pay cheque.”
While the “family friend” didn’t mention The Crazy Ones by name, their article heavily implied the show was an example of Williams taking a role he didn’t want to. Reports like that make people assume that Williams couldn’t stand starring in The Crazy Ones. However, Williams clearly enjoyed aspects of his time starring in The Crazy Ones.
During the aforementioned Parade interview, before Williams spoke about needing steady work, he revealed an aspect of his role that appealed to him. “The idea of a father-daughter relationship—since I have a daughter, I’ve done the research on that.”
More importantly, Williams seemed to love working with his co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar who played his daughter in The Crazy Ones. While talking to Parade, Williams remarked, “It’s fun. I’m having such a blast doing it with Sarah. She’s a sweet woman.” While speaking to US Magazine, Williams sang Gellar’s praises again. “She is really a great actress and really funny. She has chops.”
After Williams passed away, Gellar spoke about the bond she shared with the actor. “My life is a better place because I knew Robin Williams. To my children he was Uncle Robin, to everyone he worked with, he was the best boss anyone had ever known, and to me he was not just an inspiration but he was the father I had always dreamed of having.”
Gellar continued, “There are not enough adjectives to describe the light he was, to anyone that ever had the pleasure to meet him. I will miss him everyday, but I know the memory of him will live on. And to his family, I thank them for letting us know him and seeing the joy they brought him. Us crazy ones love you.”
