Judi Dench recalls a moment of quiet kindness from Robin Williams during her husband Michael Williams’ battle with lung cancer in her forthcoming memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It?” The book, due Tuesday, describes an encounter that stayed with her because of the comedian’s considerate approach to offering help.
In an excerpt shared via People, Dench writes that she and her husband were staying at actor Billy Connolly’s home in Scotland nearly 30 years earlier when they encountered Williams. A gathering one evening brought guests into the woods for a ceilidh and a bonfire. Michael was seriously ill, and Dench noticed that he was becoming tired.
After saying goodbye to the other guests, the couple began climbing a very steep hill. Williams came alongside them and asked whether he could help. Michael said he could manage, but Williams offered to accompany them anyway. Dench remembers his response: “Well, I think I’ll ride shotgun anyway”.
For Dench, the significance of the exchange was the way Williams made himself available without pressing his assistance on her husband. She writes that she has returned often to the memory, recalling his sensitivity and his willingness to remain nearby. Her account describes support offered gently, with an understanding of Michael’s wish to manage the walk himself.
Dench and Williams had previously appeared in the 1996 film “Hamlet.” Their paths also crossed at the Academy Awards in 1999, when he presented her with the supporting actress Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare in Love.” Williams, whose films included “Hook,” “Jumanji,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Dead Poets Society” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” died in 2014, aged 63. Michael died on Jan. 11, 2001, aged 65. He and Dench married in 1971.
The memoir also contains Dench’s first public reflections on appearing in the 2019 film “Cats.” Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s successful stage musical, the adaptation failed critically and commercially despite a cast that included James Corden, Idris Elba and Taylor Swift.
Dench expresses dismay over the outcome, particularly given Lloyd Webber’s long wait for the adaptation and the talent involved. She says she never watched the final cut and therefore cannot judge it herself. While acknowledging the hostile reviews, she emphasizes that performers and filmmakers approach their work hoping to create something audiences will embrace.
