Before his suicide on Monday, Robin Williams struggled with the idea of returning to the big screen.
Williams was involved with four films at the time of his death, the Telegraph reports, including a sequel to the 1993 hit “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Night at the Museum 3,” (slated for a December 2014 release) along with “Merry Friggin’ Christmas” (shot last summer) and “Boulevard” (premiered at Tribeca Film Festival this year).
But a friend close to the actor says Williams, who died at age 63, was left “drained” by his obligations.
“Robin had promised himself he would not do any more as he invested so much in his roles that it left him drained and particularly vulnerable to depressive episodes,” the friend told the paper. “He signed up to do them purely out of necessity. He wasn’t poor, but the money wasn’t rolling in anymore and life is expensive when you have to pay off two ex-wives and have a family to support.”
Aside from finding the roles depleting, Williams had anxieties about leaving his family for long periods of time.
“He didn’t like being away from the family for too long, which was a big issue for him when he was shooting films,” the friend said. “That’s why he agreed to do the TV show [‘The Crazy Ones’]. It was filmed nearby in San Francisco and they were very flexible with him. He was hit hard when they canceled it — it was helping him pay the bills.”
Following Williams’ sudden death, multiple sources have claimed that the star was struggling financially.
“All he could talk about were serious money troubles,” a source told Radar Online. “There were clearly other issues going on and Robin sounded distant during the telephone conversation.”
Williams also blamed divorce for his financial woes.
“Divorce is expensive,” he told Parade magazine. “It’s ripping your heart through your wallet.”