Robin Williams’ ‘Popeye’ set “snowed with cocaine”, says ex-studio boss: “Everyone was high”

A studio executive described the 1980 film Popeye, which starred Robin Williams, as “snowed in cocaine”, and described how the drug would be illegally shipped to set.

Williams played the beloved cartoon character in a musical co-starring Shelly Duvall and directed by Robert Altman. The film was a box office success but was poorly reviewed by critics. In the years since the film has been re-evaluated, with some praising its artistic merit. The village set built for the film in Malta still stands to this day, where it is open to the public as a theme park and museum.

The film is famous for its production difficulties, and former Paramount Pictures CEO Barry Diller recently looked back on the movie during a discussion with journalist Anderson Cooper to promote his autobiography, Who Knew, in New York (via Verdaily).

At one point in the talk, the journalist asked Diller which film was most affected by cocaine. “Oh, Popeye,” he replied. “By the way, you can watch it. If you watch Popeye, you’re watching a movie that — you think of it in the thing that they used to do about record speeds, 33 (RPM), whatever. This is a movie that runs at 78 RPM and 33 speed”.

He then revealed that: “They were actually shipping in film cans at the time. Film cans would be sent back to L.A. for daily processing film. This was shot in Malta. And we found out that the film cans were actually being used to ship cocaine back and forth to this set. Everyone was high”.

Williams has been open about his issues with addiction over the years. The actor became sober in 1983 following the birth of his eldest son, but began struggling with alcohol in 2003. In an interview with The Guardian, conducted in 2010, he would describe his disdain for the drug.

“Cocaine – paranoid and impotent, what fun” he said, asserting that while he became addicted to other substances, he never repeated his cocaine use. “There was no bit of me thinking, ooh, let’s go back to that. Useless conversations until midnight, waking up at dawn feeling like a vampire on a day pass. No”.

Robin Williams would take his own life in 2014, aged 63. His widow, Susan Schneider, revealed he had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, while his autopsy showed evidence of dementia.

He remains a beloved figure within Hollywood, with many talking about the kindness he showed them during their careers. Last November, Conan O’Brien revealed he was consoled by Williams after he was fired from The Tonight Show, organising a day of biking for him. Stand-up Kathy Griffin also talked about how he helped her after she “bombed” on stage.

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