Much has been made of Robin Williams’ torment detailed in a new biography of the actor. But the author of “Robin” described another side of the late comedian on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday.
Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times told host Jimmy Fallon of the time he and Williams were “geeking out” one night when Itzkoff mentioned that he shopped at the Forbidden Planet comic book store in Manhattan. Williams, known to frequent comic and collectible shops, said he was a fan of the place and vowed to take Itzkoff there.
The writer said he dismissed the proposal as an empty celebrity promise, but Williams followed through, inviting Itzkoff to meet him weeks later at the shop.
“He was like a kid in a candy store,” Itzkoff said. “He’s like walking around looking at all the statuettes and he’s like, ‘I got that one at home, got that one, don’t have that one yet.’ ”
Itzkoff said there was a regular guy in Williams that wanted to connect with people without celebrity getting in the way.
“All his life he wanted to knock down the barrier and you can’t really get rid of it when you’re that famous,” the author said.
Check out more of Itzkoff’s fond remembrance of Williams in the clip above.
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