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COMIC
superstar Robin Williams is the minister-from-hell you’d
love to hate in Warner Bros.’ new romantic comedy
License to Wed, now in theaters everywhere.
In the
film, newly engaged couple Ben Murphy (The Office’s
John Krasinski) and Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore) can’t wait
to start their life together and live happily ever
after. The problem is that Sadie’s family Church,
Saint Augustine’s,
is run by Reverend Frank (Williams), who won’t bless Ben
and Sadie’s union until they pass his patented,
“foolproof” marriage prep course. Consisting of
outrageous classes, outlandish homework assignments and
some outright invasion of privacy, Reverend Frank’s
rigorous curriculum puts Ben and Sadie’s relationship to
the test.
Forget
happily ever after—do they even have what it takes to
make it to the altar?
The
search for the right actor to don Reverend Frank’s
collar didn’t take long. Producer Mike Medavoy notes,
“When I read the script, I just knew that Robin Williams
would be ideal for the role. In addition to being an
incredibly funny actor and comedian, he’s such a
passionate and compassionate person. While Reverend
Frank puts Ben and Sadie through some really trying
situations, at the core, likeability was a key component
for building the character.”
Academy
Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams says he
gravitated toward the project “for the characters,
mostly, and the idea that Reverend Frank is genuinely
trying to help people. He creates simulated exercises
and scenarios that a young couple might not even think
about or have to deal with until they’re already
married, when it’s too late. But if a couple doesn’t
drop out and actually graduates his class, they’ll be
one step closer to living happily ever after.”
Director
Kwn Kwapis remarks, “Robin Williams was the perfect
choice to create an irreverent Reverend. His ad-lib
abilities, of course, are the stuff of legend. He can
riff on anything in his path, which, more often than
not, was me. You wouldn’t believe the number of ways you
can mangle the name Kwapis. There is a method to
Reverend Frank’s madness. No matter how perverse his
tactics, his goal remains noble: keeping couples
together.”
The
chance to work with Robin Williams was also an
incredible highlight for newcomer John Krasinski, who
reveals that when he was much younger he had written
Williams a fan letter asking for, and receiving, an
autographed photo. “I was a big fan of Robin’s, and had
seen all of his movies. Even before I wanted to be an
actor, I just loved, loved to watch his work. So to act
in a film with him now is nothing short of surreal. And,
he’s even funnier and more enthusiastic in person than
he is on film.”
Too
funny, perhaps. As Kwapis says, “The great hazard of
putting together such a group of nimble comic talents is
that it was often impossible for them to get through a
take without laughing. Keeping a straight face became a
Herculean task for John in particular, faced with
Robin’s onslaught of quips.” |
