“You’re only given a little spark of madness and if you lose that, you’re nothing.” Not unlike today, the way the sudden tragic death of chef and storyteller Anthony Bourdain has provoked an outpouring of grief and sense of despair, August 11, 2014, similarly shook the world when we learned that legendary comedian Robin Williams took his own life.
READ MORE: In Memoriam: Robin Williams’ 10 Best Performances
Many looked up to Williams, a Chicago-born, stand-up comedian, who had an unbelievable ability to make anyone laugh. He was an exceptional talent on both stage and screen. Williams’ death was shocking for everyone who knew and loved his work, and adored his dynamic personality. His death had a ripple effect of conversations and narratives about the price of comedy and brilliance, as well as, conversations around mental health. Much like we’re grappling with today, trying to make sense of the loss of Bourdain, we realize no one really knows what is going on inside another person’s head, no matter how happy they seem.
Now, almost four years after his death, HBO is giving us something that we usually don’t get—an insight into the man himself. In “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind” we see the highs and lows of Williams’ career. The new trailer opens up with Williams stating, “stand-up is survival. For me, that’s jazz, that’s what I have to do,” alongside vivid images and videos of the comedian performing stand-up over the years. The film seems to be heavily narrated by Williams, himself and features never-before-seen interviews with the comedian, his son Zak Williams, and his friends Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, and David Letterman.
The film is directed by Marina Zenovich, an American documentary filmmaker, best known for “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic,” and “Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out.”
“Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind” is set to premiere July 16 on HBO. You can watch the trailer below.
