# People appearing in public always in character **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591 "2014-12-18T17:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591/61 "2014-12-23T13:14:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Robin Williams always was in some character. Usually his own hyperactive comic one or a scripted drama character. > > I recall being disappointed when he appeared on James Lipton’s Inside The Actors Studio. Its intended as a teaching device for Graduate Level performing arts students. Actors talk candidly about their training, early experiences breaking into the business, how they create characters and study a script, give advice on navigating a career in the performing arts. A fascinating study in how some of the greatest performers and directors sustained their long careers. > > Robin came on. answered a handful of questions, and then went into his hyper comic act. Lipton wisely just tore up his question cards. Robin entertained that group of students for most of the hour. But that wasn’t why he was invited to appear. They weren’t there to see a comedy act. He just wasn’t comfortable dropping the mask and talking as himself. I don’t think that was an act, I think that was the cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591/62 "2014-12-23T17:41:48Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Foster Brooks. I knew someone who lived near him and saw him around. He definitely didn’t act like a drunk. She was surprised later when others told her who he was and that he was famous as a drunk. The act ended when he left the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591/63 "2014-12-23T17:55:29Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I knew someone who lived near him and saw him around. He definitely didn’t act like a drunk. She was surprised later when others told her who he was and that he was famous as a drunk. The act ended when he left the stage. To be honest I don’t know too much about him. I saw a clip of him on one of those celebrity roasts on youtube. I googled a few more and found him doing the same “drunk” act in all of them. I found them quite funny. However, having not seen or heard of him on anything else I assumed he was a one trick pony. ---
**Author:** ![CGav8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@CGav8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CGav8r)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591/64 "2014-12-23T18:48:06Z")
I know someone mentioned Pee-wee Herman, but I just heard Paul Reubens interviewed on the podcast “Bullseye” and Reubens made a conscious decision to maintain the Pee-wee Herman persona outside, as he was influenced by performace artists of the time like Andy Kaufman. He was even asked to go on a season of “The Surreal Life” numerous times, and said no, but the third or fourth time he told the producers he would go on if he could stay in the Peewee Herman AND if he could be Jose Canseco’s room mate, as he knew he could get a lot of laughs in that situation. The producers (sadly) said no. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591/65 "2014-12-23T19:16:52Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > However, having not seen or heard of him on anything else I assumed he was a one trick pony. His act was a one trick pony, but he didn’t seem to take that act off stage with him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-appearing-in-public-always-in-character/707591.md?page=3)