Thread by @CubanMissileDH

Many months ago, I somewhat flippantly bribed the twitter-verse for followers by saying I would reveal my worst celebrity encounter, which happened to be with a beloved childhood hero, at 10,000 followers. That goal seemed years away at the time. But here we are. It happened.

After much soul-searching, I have decided that telling any version of the bad encounter will inevitably make me a petulant, thin-skinned baby. Looking back, what happened wasn’t THAT bad, especially compared to actually bad things that have happened to people in Hollywood.

A childhood favorite said something extremely mean to me. Boo hoo for poor Dan. Therefore, at the risk of alienating my new followers who are here for the dirt, I have decided to tell you about my best celebrity encounter: when @BenjiSamit and I got to work with Robin Williams.

We were asked to be on set for the pilot of the show The Crazy Ones, Robin’s big return to tv. We only had six months of TV experience under our belt, and we were honored and flattered to be asked. Robin Williams! What would he be like? Aloof? Mean? No! The best.

Watching him work in person made my appreciation rise to another level. He would effortlessly rip off improvs, take after take doing different riffs, finally asking for a final take where he would string all the improvs together into a super take.

To this day, he is the only person I have seen get a standing ovation from the entire crew after a take. Consider just how remarkable a take would need to be to get a crew, veterans of hundreds of tv episodes, to do that. Not only that, he was kind, gentle, and wise off the set.

He solicited feedback, listened to notes, and truly seemed to give a shit about making a great show, in addition to making sure it was a good experience for those involved. He was mostly quiet off-camera, but he would suddenly drop a hilarious one-liner out of nowhere.

This experience culminated when during one of the scenes, I pitched an alt joke to the director, who in turn pitched it to Robin. Robin laughed so hard he stopped the take, walked off set yelling, “who wrote this joke? It’s a great joke!” Someone pointed him in my direction!

Robin f’n Williams came up to me shouting, “Dan! What a great joke!” Then he asked me for my permission (!) to alter it slightly. Of course, Robin! In the moment, I could feel my soul leaving my body from disbelief and joy. Even now, it hardly seems real.

So that is what can happen when you go to set to help out. Your life can change, maybe by getting a job, maybe by getting blessed by a comedy god. Though Robin is no longer with us, the impression lingers on. I will tell my grandkids that story. It was a POWERFUL moment for me.

Robin left us a few months later. It was hard to process. I cried so much that day. As I’ve gotten a little older, I try to remind myself that you have NO IDEA what others are going through. Lead with kindness if you can. Robin did.

I only knew Robin for a week, but he took the time to make a young comedy writer feel good, to feel confident. If the funniest person in the world, possibly who’s ever lived, likes your stuff…maybe you’re not kidding yourself to try and make a career of it.

The energy on set that week was palpable, and I think it stemmed from a legendary person setting the tone with humility. It seemed to me, he was there to do the job just like any other person. That is infectious.

That same week I introduced my wife to her favorite singer of all-time, Kelly Clarkson, who was the guest star, and Kelly immediately complimented my wife’s shirt and chatted happily. It remains the most pleased with me my wife has ever been, and I am still chasing that high.

My point in telling these stories is that ultimately positivity is a more powerful force than gossipy bullshit. I sat down to write the bad experience, and then I thought to myself, “why put this into the world?” Everyone has a bad day: you, me, or even a nameless mega-celebrity.

So there you have it. Yes, it was a bait and switch in the end. Ain’t I a stinker? Unfollow if you must. I wouldn’t blame you. Still, my conscience is clear as water.

P.S. Robin’s choreography demonstration in The Birdcage is probably my favorite physical comedy bit of all-time. What a hero.

P.P.S. For those asking, the joke was that Robin’s character, who was an ad man, did an ad campaign for McDonald’s, which he described as a “scrappy little underdog company”before he got involved. I do not think it was an A+ amazing joke or anything, but Robin liked it!