“He wasn’t very interesting to me”: ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ Writer Found the Real-Life Character That Inspired Robin Williams’ Oscar Nominated Role a ‘Nerdy-Type Guy’
The late Robin Williams, who’s still fondly remembered for his movies like Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting had his breakthrough with Good Morning, Vietnam.
The 1987 war comedy is a real-life inspired story about an unorthodox DJ named Adrian Cronauer, who’s sent to Vietnam in 1965 to add a little comedy and a few laughs in the lives of the soldiers. His charismatic personality wins over G.I.s. However, he raises eyebrows with his take on the war.
The thought-provoking story on the consequences and influence of war is a good watch and relevant even today.
How Good Morning, Vietnam Writer Reacted After Meeting Robin Williams’ Character in Real Life
Robin Williams was one of the few actors in Hollywood who truly made his characters well-liked by everyone through his own charm on and off the screen.
His portrayal of English teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society and Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting didn’t just inspire the students of Welton Academy and genius college kid Will Hunting (Matt Damon) respectively, the knowledge they imparted touched the hearts of viewers as well.
Similarly, Adrian Cronauer also became very well-liked across America and the world, and Williams’ portrayal not only got him an Oscar nomination but also made Cronauer seem a very interesting individual. Turns out, the writer of Good Morning, Vietnam, Mitch Markowitz, didn’t find him that fascinating. He said:
“I met the real Adrian Cronauer once, maybe twice. Honestly, he wasn’t interesting to me. He was a nice man, but he was very square — a nerdy-type guy. I listened to some of the tapes of his show, too, but they weren’t very humorous or inspiring either. So I just went off and did this on my own.”
Markowitz couldn’t get much inspiration or ideas from Cronauer but he did manage to deliver a top-notch screenplay, largely because of his curiosity to better understand the context surrounding the Vietnam War and the place itself. When he realized it wasn’t possible to go to Vietnam in that situation, he instead went to Bangkok so that he could at least get close to the original location and get some essence of the culture.
Why Good Morning, Vietnam Star Robin Williams Did a Stand-up in Bangkok
Markowitz wasn’t the only individual from the Good Morning, Vietnam team who traveled to Bangkok. In fact, the capital of Thailand was the most important location for the filmmakers as the majority of the scenes were filmed in the city.
Apart from being an incredible actor, Williams was also an accomplished stand-up comedian. and many students in Bangkok were blessed with his performance behind the mic thanks to a very wholesome turn of events.
It is understood that the anti-war movie needed a lot of extras on the sets and subsequently picked several hundred male students from the International (American) School of Bangkok to perform “in the multitude of shots showing American GI’s” throughout the movie.
In order to thank them for their contribution, the great William made the students’ day memorable by doing his stand-up routine.
Source: Cracked
