One year after the death of comedian and actor Robin Williams, his final two big screen roles are coming to theaters.
Williams’ last on-screen performance in “Boulevard” is in limited release around the country and is set for DVD release Sept. 1. And his final voice acting performance in “Absolutely Anything,” costarring Simon Pegg, hits theaters this Friday.
In “Boulevard,” Williams plays a restrained loan banker caught in a marriage of convenience that represses his true character — not to mention his homosexuality.
“Absolutely Anything” reunites the “Monty Python” cast as a council of extraterrestrials who give Pegg’s character the power to do “absolutely anything.” Williams plays Pegg’s talking dog and comedic relief.
In “Absolutely Anything,” Williams lent his voice as the comedically-based, Mojo the dog.
The film took nearly two decades of development by Gavin Scott and “Monty Python’s” Terry Jones. It’s finally reaching cinemas — this Friday — nearly four years after getting Williams involved.
Jones knew Williams through Terry Gilliam, another “Monty Python” member. At an award event in Los Angeles, Jones asked Williams if he would voice a dog in the film.
“One thing we’re grateful to Robin for is he was the first to come on and he stuck with the whole thing,” Scott, who co-wrote the film, told Deadline. “The kind of attitude that led him to stick with the project through all its ups and downs, he totally exhibited here. He wanted to make everybody feel good from the engineer to the lady making the coffee. It was very late in the day for him and we didn’t know that, but he was a real mensch.”
After a decades-long battle with severe depression, substance abuse and a troubled personal life, Williams took his own life at his home in Tiburon, California, on Aug. 11, 2014 — one year ago today. The news sent the entertainment community and fans into waves of tributes and mourning.
Now with these two movies, fans have a chance to bid farewell to the beloved actor.
