A ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ Star Says Robin Williams “Didn’t Ask Permission” To Go Off Script

Dead Poets Society alum Ethan Hawke is offering a peek behind the curtain about what he learned from star Robin Williams as a young actor working on the film. The 1989 film starred Williams, Hawke, Josh Charles, Robert Sean Leonard, and others in a coming-of-age story set at an all-boys private school. The film is best known for its poignancy, the “O’ Captain, My Captain” scene, and the way it explored life and art.

In a recent interview, Hawke explained that a lot of the film’s dialogue came from Williams himself, because “Robin Williams didn’t do the script.” Not only did that open the door for the film to become what it is, but it taught Hawke something about acting. “I didn’t know you could do that. If he had an idea, he just did it. He didn’t ask permission. And that was a new door that was opened to my brain, that you could play like that.” The film is Certified Fresh at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and for anyone who has yet to see it, the synopsis for Dead Poets Societyis as follows:

“A new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating’s help, students Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day.”

And the diversion was embraced, rather than scolded. Hawke explains that Peter Weir, the director, was fine “as long as we still achieved the same goals that the script had.” Hawke explains, “they had a very different way of working, but they didn’t judge one another or resist one another. They worked with each other. That’s exciting.”

Taylor Swift Gave Fans a ‘Dead Poets Society’ Reunion

For a niche cross-section of fans, in 2024, international pop superstar Taylor Swift reunited Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles on the set of her music video for “Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone). The music video for the lead single from The Tortured Poets Department is set in black-and-white, with a scene toward the end featuring a laboratory with two doctors circling Swift while she’s hooked up to a machine. Those two doctors, played by Hawke and Charles, also have the names Dr. Anderson and Dr. Overstreet embroidered on their labcoats, matching the last names of the characters they played in the 1989 film.

Nothing about that was a coincidence, with Hawke and Charles both confirming the callbacks in a social media post. Swift also joined in, saying “I’m still laughing from getting to work with the coolest guys on earth, Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles (tortured poets, meet your colleagues from down the hall, the dead poets).”

You can watch Dead Poets Society on Disney+ now. Stay with Collider for the latest updates.