Robin Williams once turned down an $8 million salary for one of his most beloved movie for a very heartwarming reason.
Few people have been so universally loved as Williams, and there are few ways to explain it other than there was simply no-one quite like him.
Naturally he could command huge salaries for his roles – typically around $8 million – but for one particular part there was something that Williams valued much more than cold hard cash.
Fans of the widely loved comedian shared the story around July 21, which would have been Williams’ 73rd birthday.
Although $8 million dollars is a life-changing amount of money for most people, Williams had a very different reason for taking on one of his most iconic roles.
The actor chose to take on the role of the Genie in Disney Aladdin simply because he wanted something for his children to watch and remember him by.
Few people have been as universally admired and adored as Williams. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
In an interview on the Today Show, he explained: “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.”
And it’s one thing to say that while still taking home a seven-figure pay check, quite another to turn it down.
But Williams did have one stipulation which he was very adamant about.
This was that he was not happy having his voice used in any advertising, including marketing which would be attached to the movie.
He told New York magazine: “I don’t want to sell stuff. It’s the one thing I don’t do.”
Explaining on the Today Show, he said this included ‘merchandising tie-ins, the whole thing’.
The comedian added: “I don’t mind if they make dolls. It’s when they use my voice that it gets interesting.”
Robin Williams had a rule that he didn’t want his voice used in marketing. (Vera Anderson/WireImage)
Williams’ opposition to his voice being used in advertising got him at loggerheads with Disney at one point, to the point that the corporation even sent him a $1 million Picasso as an olive branch.
Williams explained: “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.”
Speaking about the incident, a Disney source told the LA Times: “Every single piece of marketing material involving Robin Williams was run by Marsha (Williams’ 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.”
In the end Williams and Disney reconciled, and he would reprise the role of the Genie in the third Aladdin movie.