Interview: Robin Williams..

[KiwiCoromandel]

When most people hear the name Robin Williams, the first thing they think is funny. But Williams has carved a nice niche for himself in recent years, balancing the funny with the serious. Most recently, Williams has portrayed a series of darker characters in films such as One Hour Photo, Insomnia and Final Cut.

The Night Listener is based on the book of the same name by Armistead Maupin. The story comes from Maupin's own experiences with a very similar situation and the film could not arrive at a more poignant time. Williams plays Gabriel Noone, a popular author who hosts a nightly fictional storytelling radio program. Noone has recently split with his longtime boyfriend, Jess (Bobby Cannavale) when he is approached by a publisher friend with a promising book written by a young boy about his years of abuse. The boy, Pete (Rory Culkin), is a huge fan of Noone's work and the two develop a friendship. He also befriends the boy's mother, Donna (Toni Collette). But as he delves deeper into their lives, question of the boy's existence develop, spinning Noone into a desperate quest to find out the truth. The Night Listener is directed by Patrick Stettner from a script by Maupin and Terry Anderson.

Interviewing Williams can be an overwhelming experience. His manic energy combined with an ingeniously quick wit make for an always entertaining chat. That is, if you can keep up with him.

The last time IGN spoke to Williams, we decided his rants were amusing enough to hear in full form, so we made them available as MP3 downloads.

During our recent chat for The Night Listener, Williams proved he can switch the funny switch off and on at a moments notice, mixing the straight answers with the jokes in effortless transition.

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http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/722/722553p1.html

[NelsonG]

The guy's great... I intend on watching The Night Listener