Eric Roberts Reveals Robin Williams Pranked Julia Roberts on Her First NYC Visit

Eric Roberts Reveals Robin Williams Pranked Julia Roberts on Her First NYC Visit

In his new memoir Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far, Eric Roberts shares a humorous story about how Robin Williams pranked his sister, Julia Roberts, during her first trip to New York.

Wanting to make a memorable impression on Julia, Eric asked his famous friend Robin to pull off a quirky prank. The story unfolds at Cafe Central, a trendy spot frequented by celebrities like Cher, Al Pacino, and Andy Warhol. “I had just seen Robin there a few days earlier, which had impressed Julia,” Eric recalled. “I told him, ‘My baby sister’s gonna be in town this week. Gotta freak her out for me.’ Williams responded, ‘Yeah, no problem. Okay.’”

The prank took place while Julia was enjoying a hamburger with Eric. “So I’m sitting in one of the windows with Julie, and here comes Robin,” he remembered. “He walks over, looks at her, opens the door, grabs her hamburger, and bolts out. Julie freaks out, ‘Was that Robin Williams?!’ I said, ‘I think it was, honey.’ She exclaimed, ‘He took my hamburger!’”

Eric noted that this was exactly the kind of playful surprise he expected from Williams, who was known for his energetic antics on Mork and Mindy. “I was thrilled to impress my baby sister!” he wrote.

Julia and Robin later starred together in Steven Spielberg’s Hook in 1991, where Williams played Peter Pan and Julia portrayed Tinker Bell.

In another part of his memoir, Eric reflects on his relationship with Williams, noting how Robin often offered him advice. “To tell the truth, he could be a bit pompous about his intelligence,” Eric shared. “He’d say things like, ‘You need to know this, you know that.’”

For instance, Robin advised Eric to counteract his “arrogant” appearance, despite both actors agreeing that Eric wasn’t truly arrogant. “You look arrogant, dude. People think you are,” Williams told him. “I know you’re not, but you gotta fight against that.”

When Eric expressed his ambition to win an Oscar for Runaway Train, Williams lectured him about artistry and the Hollywood system. “You’ve let them take you down their road, man!” Eric recalled Robin saying. “They’re not artists! You’re an artist, but you’re not acting like one because you want to win.” Yet despite this advice, Eric admitted, “I still wanted to win the f—ing award.”

Eric Roberts Reveals Robin Williams Pranked Julia Roberts on Her First NYC Visit

Eric also acknowledged that Robin wasn’t immune to the pressures of fame. “In the last phase of his life, he felt almost as recognized as Robert De Niro and acted like it,” he wrote. “But I thought he was cool. I liked everything about the Robin I knew, and I was devastated when he took his own life.”

Eric Roberts’ memoir Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far is available now.