She’s got that sparkle in her eye again! Zelda Williams opened up to Chelsea Handler in a recent interview about her the death of her late father, Robin Williams, two years ago, explaining that she’s learned over time that the best way to cope with her dad’s passing is to love life.
“I didn’t really grow up in the spotlight,” the 27-year-old actress told the talk show host on Netflix’s Chelsea. “We lived in San Francisco, so for me, we were already kind of together and close and so I just kept going, ‘OK, today I’m going to wake up and love what I do. And tomorrow I’m going to wake up and be happy and love what I do. And then the next day … because that’s all you can do.’”
The legendary actor was 63 when he committed suicide on August 11, 2014, following a struggle with anxiety and Parkinson’s disease. Zelda admitted that immediately following his death, she felt as though she wasn’t allowed to lead a normal existence.
“It’s funny, because for a while I think nobody would let me do anything. It was like, ‘Oh s–t, are you OK?’ and then even if you are OK, they’re like, ‘But what’s wrong?’” Zelda told Handler. “And so for a while, I was kind of left to my own devices and a lot of stuff came out of that, because I ended up writing 12 scripts. But then, I was also like, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ and also, I didn’t see a lot of daylight for a while. But now I’m doing a lot more of that!”
Late last month, Zelda — who quit social media shortly after her father’s death when harassers posted graphic images and blamed her for her father’s death — shared a post with fans on what would have been her father’s 65th birthday, paying tribute to the Good Will Hunting actor.
“Still not really sure what to do on days like today … I know I can’t give you a present anymore, but I guess that means I’ll just have to keep giving them in your name instead,” she wrote on Thursday, July 21, adding that she’d gotten involved in one charity that dealt with “rescue dogs, people suffering from disabilities, and our nation’s wounded veterans” — freedomservicedogs.org.
“Thought you’d get a kick out of furry, four legged friends helping change the world, one warrior in need at a time,” she wrote. “Happy birthday Poppo. Shasha, Zakky, Codeman and I all love you and miss you like crazy. Xo.”
