Robin Williams was (and still remains) probably one of the most beloved actors and comedians of all time – and his 2014 passing was felt by his fans across the globe.
The talented actor has appeared in many family favorite movies – from his role as a divorcé-turned-Scottish-housekeeper in Mrs. Doubtfire, to his portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum trilogy, his ability to captivate and humor audiences worldwide earned him the gleaming reputation he has today.
Not only was he a fantastic actor, but Williams was also well-known for being a kind and generous person (he secretly donated $50,000 to a food bank shortly before his death) especially when children were involved. And his involvement in 1992’s Aladdin only reinforces this!
Robin Williams was underpaid for ‘Aladdin’
The late actor – who died by suicide aged just 63 – voiced the role of Genie in the Disney family flick, though, his paycheck was much lower than what he was used to, given that he was already an established actor at the time.
Williams – who had already been nominated for three Oscars and won two Golden Globes prior to taking on the role of Genie – took home just $75,000 of the usual $8 million rate he charged.
But the pay cut was not random. In fact, there was a sweet reason why he chose to forgo the big bucks for the role.
The father-of-three revealed in a 1993 interview with New York Magazine – one year after the release of Aladdin – that he had accepted the lower paycheck for the simple reason that he wanted to be part of the animation tradition and “leave something wonderful behind” for his children.
As well as accepting a lower pay, Williams also said that he gave Disney about 30 hours of additional voiceover material for them to use. Though, the Good Morning Vietnam actor did have one condition – he did not want his voice used as a marketing tool for Disney merchandise, per Screen Rant.
“I don’t want to sell stuff,” Williams later told New York magazine, adding: “It’s the one thing I don’t do.”
Disney violates agreement with Robin Williams
Then, in a later interview with the Today Show, he said: “The one thing I said was I will do the voice. I’m doing it basically because I want to be part of this animation tradition. I want something for my children. One deal is, I just don’t want to sell anything — as in Burger King, as in toys, as in stuff.”
Disney did not adhere to this one stipulation, using Williams’ voice to sell Aladdin merchandise in TV advertisements – something he had not agreed to. So, he didn’t return for the 1994 sequel.
In a 1996 interview with the Toronto Sun, Williams revealed the issue had been over “merchandising tie-ins, the whole thing.” He said: “I don’t mind if they make dolls. It’s when they use my voice that it gets interesting.”
Disney actually tried to apologize to Williams by sending him a $1 million Picasso painting as a gift, with the late actor telling the Toronto Sun that the gift strangely came before the violation of the agreement.
“The thing is they didn’t give me a Picasso as a payback for violating the agreement. The Picasso came first, then they violated the agreement, then we broke off the marriage. Then they apologized, and that was all I wanted,” he said.
“I wanted them to say, ‘We violated the agreement and then we put out a press campaign that made it look as if you were sticking us up for money.’ Studios do this all the time, but they just don’t cop to it. (He adopts a voice): ‘Shhh! You mean lie?’ But they did and they admitted it and now we’re back,” he added.
“It was tough for a while. How do you tell the kids, ‘Daddy’s fighting with Disney, so we won’t be going to Orlando for a while? No more plush toys or Hunchback packs or merchandising,'” he added.
Per the LA Times, a spokesperson for Disney said: “Every single piece of marketing material involving Robin Williams was run by Marsha (the actor’s wife) and Robin Williams. We did not use his voice in any way that he did not contractually agree to.
“He agreed to the deal, and then when the movie turned out to be a big hit, he didn’t like the deal he had made.”
Fortunately, Williams and Disney made up, with the actor starring in the third Aladdin movie in 1996.
If you like Robin Williams, you may enjoy reading this article about his daughter, Zelda, and her thoughts on AI recreations of her late father.
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