Ethan Hawke admits he thought Robin Williams 'hated' him

By Megan Stone

Ethan Hawke is opening up about the indelible mark Robin Williams left on his career -- despite their somewhat rocky start.

Hawke reflected on the late comedian and the time they spent together filming the Oscar-winning 1989 movie, "Dead Poets Society."

Speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czech Republic, where he received the President’s Award, the 50-year-old actor admitted he once thought Williams hated him.

"I thought Robin hated me. He had a habit of making a ton of jokes on set. At 18, I found that incredibly irritating. He wouldn’t stop and I wouldn’t laugh at anything he did," Hawke recalled, according to Variety.

"There was this scene in the film when he makes me spontaneously make up a poem in front of the class," he added. "He made this joke at the end of it, saying that he found me intimidating. I thought it was a joke."

Francois Duhamel/Sygma via Getty Images, FILE

The cast of "Dead Poet's Society" is pictured in 1989.

He said his understanding of Williams' joke changed over the years, explaining, "As I get older, I realize there is something intimidating about young people’s earnestness, their intensity. It is intimidating -- to be the person they think you are. Robin was that for me."

In "Dead Poets Society," Hawke played Todd Anderson, a student who forms a special bond with Williams' John Keating, an English teacher who bucks tradition and inspires his students via his unique teaching methods.

The "Boyhood" star also revealed that Williams admired him all along and even helped him get his start in Hollywood, noting that he helped him secure his first talent agent.

"[The agent] called, saying, 'Robin Williams says you are going to do really well,'" he remembered.