Stanley Kubrick Thought Robin Williams "Too Psychotic" to Play Jack Torrance in THE SHINING

Here’s a bit of interesting information regarding Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining that has resurfaced on the Internet that I thought would be fun to share.

For those of you who don’t know, Kubrick actually considered casting Robin Williams in the role of Jack Torrance. The role ultimately went to Jack Nicholson, who was absolutely insane in the role, but it’s kinda fun to imagine what that character might have been like with Williams in the role.

So why didn’t Kubrick end up casting Williams in the role? According to IMDB (via: /Film), the director didn’t “think Williams would suit the role after watching his performance on Mork & Mindy (1978), as he deemed him too psychotic for the role.”

What’s funny is that Kubrick also considered Robert De Niro for the role of Jack Torrance, but after watching Taxi Driver, Kubrick thought De Niro “wasn’t psychotic enough for the role.”

Williams was a great actor, though, and he played some chilling roles in films such as One Hour Photo and Insomnia. I think he could’ve handled the role of Jack Torrance, and I think he would have done some interesting things with the character if given the chance.

I would love to see Jamie Costa perform a scene form the shining as Robin Williams! Costa is the same actor who made that Robin Williams biopic pitch video.

What do you think about Williams almost being cast in the role of Jack Torrance?