Actors Henry Winkler and Robin Williams have both had long and decorated careers that include fan-favorite roles in film and TV.
But they both got their start on sitcoms where they got to show off their comedic chops, and Winkler had the privilege of watching Williams in his element, coming alive to audition to play the zany alien Mork on an episode of Winkler’s classic series Happy Days before the performance spawned its own spinoff.
Winkler told Scrubs alums Zach Braff and Donald Faison on their podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends that no one wanted to play Mork, and the studio was on a time crunch to get someone cast, and do it quickly:
“When Robin came to audition, now it’s Wednesday. We start Monday morning at 10 o’clock on the soundstage. That is at 9 o’clock, we read. 10 o’clock, we’re on the soundstage. Nobody wanted to play this alien from outer space.
Wednesday, now, we’re shooting on Friday. Wednesday comes, finally, a young, very shy, very quiet man comes with the casting director. [Mimics Williams] ‘Hello, hello, hello.’”
At the time of his audition, Williams was still gradually breaking out in the industry, with a few small roles in film and television. He was a regular performer on the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In in 1977, but still was not near the caliber of celebrity that lie ahead of him.
Winkler went on to say that while Williams started out shy, what happened in that audition when Williams went to work changed the mood in the room:
“And then, this human being picked up the script. When he opened his mouth, it was like a volcano went off on stage 19 at Paramount. And I knew, ‘Get out of his way, know my lines, and don’t try to go toe to toe with this genius who was now standing in front of me.’”
That makes sense to any fan of Robin Williams in hindsight, but for someone just meeting him, I bet it was a total trip. What he could do was like magic, and so rare.
So of course, Williams got the role, and that one appearance led to the studio giving him his own spinoff based on the episode, and that’s how we got Mork & Mindy.
via: CinemaBlend
