Robert De Niro Had To Wake Treat Williams Up Mid-Scene Filming Once Upon A Time In America
Treat Williams' star had been on the rise throughout the 1970s when he finally broke through nationally as doomed hippie George Berger in Miloš Forman's 1979 film adaptation of "Hair." Critics were enamored of the handsome actor's fervent commitment to the late-to-arrive protest musical, and some of the world's finest filmmakers lined up to work with him (Williams was also wonderful as a brutish, egg-hating corporal in Steven Spielberg's "1941," but the antic World War II comedy was overwhelmingly panned).
Williams was also poised for awards glory when Sidney Lumet cast him as conscience-stricken NYPD detective Danny Ciello in his corrupt cop epic "Prince of the City," but critics were cool to the sprawling drama. Some even dinged Williams for lacking the scene-shredding ferocity of Al Pacino in Lumet's "Serpico," a complaint that missed the point of the character and the film in general. His next major role was as Teamsters boss Jimmy O'Donnell in Sergio Leone's mobster saga "Once Upon a Time in America." Cast alongside such thespian heavyweights as Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, James Woods and Tuesday Weld, Williams had his work cut out for him. And while he brought his A-game, he experienced one embarrassing episode when he got a little too subdued in his portrayal of O'Donnell.
A master of on-camera relaxation
In a 2017 interview with People, Williams reminisced about working with the Italian maestro, who had a different directorial approach than most of the filmmakers with whom he'd worked in his still young career. "When [Sergio Leone] wasn't getting it," said Williams, "he would just, like most European directors, wait you out. They don't direct you. They just wait until you get tired of acting, and you start behaving naturally. And they start getting the performance they want."
Leone might have waited too long while shooting a scene where Williams is laid up in a hospital bed. Though Williams admitted he'd been up late the night before, he felt like he was present in the moment. He might've been there physically, but mentally ... well, he needed a jolt of inspiration from one of the best to ever do it. As he told People:
"[I]'m lying in the bed, and we were talking, and then all of a sudden I feel somebody's arm on my shoulder, shaking my shoulder. I look up, and it's Bob De Niro. I go, 'Hey, what's up?' He goes, 'You wanna say your line? We rolled, we were shooting and you were asleep. So, you wanna join us?' I had fallen asleep in the midst of the scene. I attribute that to an actor who has extraordinary relaxation abilities."
Williams gives a sensational performance in the film, reminding us that he should've been a much bigger star. But he wasn't one to complain. If you followed him on Twitter, you know the man seemed wholly content with life at his home in rural Vermont. Still, to lose him at the age of 71, when he had much more to give, is a heartbreaker. He'll be sorely missed.