Warning: This article discusses depression and mentions suicide.
Director Shawn Levy has detailed what he saw as a decline in Robin Williams' mental health and acting capabilities during the filming of the final movie he would star in before his death.
In a clip from the upcoming documentary Robin's Wish, Levy breaks his silence on the comedy legend's struggles on the set of the 2014 film Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
"I would say a month into the shoot, it was clear to me - it was clear to all of us on that set - that something was going on with Robin," Levy said, adding that he had never spoken about the situation until now.
"We saw that Robin was struggling in a way that he hadn't before to remember lines and to combine the right words with the performance," he added.
Levy said he would receive calls from the actor at all hours of the night, worried that none of his material would usable, asking: "Do I suck? What's going on?"
"I would reassure him. I said, 'You are still you. I know it. The world knows it. You just need to remember that'."
"My faith in him never left, but I saw his morale crumbling," Levy finished.
"I saw a guy who wasn't himself and he thought that was unforgivable."
Williams died by suicide aged 63 in 2014 - the same year the final Night at the Museum film was released.
The forthcoming documentary about the end of his life has been made in collaboration with his widow Susan Schneider Williams, and will document his fight against the neurogenerative disorder Lewy Body Dementia.
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- Shine (domestic violence) - 0508 744 633
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- What's Up - 0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787)
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- Shakti Community Council - 0800 742 584
