xerinmichellex

So. This wasn't the post I intended to make tonight, but with Robin Williams's sudden passing, I don't know how I could make another post.

Robin Williams is--was one of those people who, for as long as I can remember, existed in my life. It's hard to pinpoint when I first "knew" him. Probably, like most kids my age, it was Aladdin. Then came Jumanji, then Hook, then Mrs. Doubtfire, and then countless others. (For the record, his role as Armand Goldman from The Birdcage is my favorite of his. And in going through his IMDB page, there's a lot of his movies I haven't seen, but have always meant to.) He's the first movie star that I can remember who transcended past being someone who showed up in my favorite movies.

On the first day of Dance Camp at the YMCA, I remember that we had to fill out these "getting to know you" surveys. One of the questions, was "who's your favorite actor?" I recall that "Leonardo DiCaprio" came up a lot (this would've been a couple years after Titanic came out) and. . .others. (Seriously, who was the teen heartthrob of 1999?) I wrote down "Robin Williams" and got a few "Really?" responses. Yeah, really.

For me, Robin Williams has always been a physical manifestation of "life". Whether it be bouncing around on stage or flipping through impersonations like turning the pages of a book, I will always remember his energy. And even when he talked openly about his struggles with alcohol and depression, a spark of this energy seemed to vibrate underneath it all. I'm sad that that spark has gone out.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go hunt down our VHS copy of Jumanji.