Steven Spielberg's Hook turns 30 this year. The film included a star-studded cast including Robin Williams as Peter Pan, Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook, Julia Roberts as Tinker Bell, Bob Hoskins as Mr. Smee, and Maggie Smith as Granny Wendy. The film also included 15-year-old Dante Basco as the new leader of the Lost Boys, Rufio.
Basco spoke to Screen Rant about what the 30th anniversary of Hook means to him, what it was like working with Robin Williams and the rest of the cast, and the props he still has from the set.
Screen Rant: This is a big year because, and I'm sure you're aware, but this is the 30th anniversary of Hook. Can you believe it's been 30 years?
Dante Basco: No, I cannot believe it's been that long. Now that you mention it, I did not really realize that till we started this interview. That's amazing. It seems like the last time we really talked about it in depth was the 25th anniversary, which is now obviously five years ago, which feels like it went by in a blink of an eye.
I was watching it last night and it's interesting watching it as an adult now because it almost feels more powerful to me now. When is the last time you watched it in its entirety? And does it hit you in different ways over time?
Dante Basco: The last time I remember watching it in its entirety was not too long ago where we connected with JB Hart, one of the executive producers and the writer of the original script of Hook. So we watched it at the Austin Film Festival. I got to watch it in a movie theater, and it was really so magical to see in a theater on the big screen with a packed audience. Of course, now in my forties watching it definitely hits definitely different as an adult.
I mean, one of the things at first I realized is I'm probably right around the age of where Robin was when Robin did the film, which just has a different vibe to it. We lost Robin, of course. So rest in peace, Robin. And then just what it means as an adult to never grow up, to really try to keep the energy and the hope of the child in us alive, even as we progress.
I've been in the industry now for over 35 years. And when I go back and watch films, it definitely feels like you're looking through old albums of friends that are friends that you've lost, friends you owe phone calls to, friends you miss. And seeing us at certain [age] ... Teenage me and Jimmy Madio at 15, and we're still friends today. Just all these kinds of things go through your mind.
What's the number one question you would say you get in regards to Hook and Rufio?
Dante Basco: Always, "What was it like working Robin Williams?" Robin comes up all the time and rightfully so because he's just a magical person. The short answer's always like, "Hey, man, Robbin's the Genie." He played the genie in Aladdin and he is the genie when you're around Robin Williams. He's so smart and so fast and so funny and so kind, and magic can happen and often does. So, I mean, in a nutshell, that's Robin Williams.
But just beyond that, I got to spend so much time with him. He was such a loving and caring actor and mentor for me during that time in my life. We talked a lot about poetry because even going into the film, I was a big fan of who he was and his career. Of course, from the Mork & Mindy days, growing up, watching that. But then watching his films, like The World According to Garp was a really heavy film for me.
Then, of course, Dead Poets Society, where then I, after working with him and talking about all this poetry, continue to love poetry. Started writing poetry and then ultimately created a poetry venue in my living room, which became DPL, Da Poetry Lounge, here in Los Angeles, originally Dante's Poetry Lounge. Which is now 20-plus years later became the inspiration which became Def Poetry Jam on HBO, which went to Broadway and won a Tony. And Robin Williams' spirit is a part of all that. Now DPL here in Los Angeles is still the largest weekly open mic in the country.
Do you have a favorite scene or moment from set that you shared with him?
Dante Basco: There's so many things. I literally would come to set to watch him and Dustin and Steven work on my days off just to be around greatness. I mean, when you're an artist or you do whatever you're doing out there, it's like when you're around greatness, you hope that you have the wherewithal to understand what's going on and have just the good sense to sit down and watch it and see it.
A lot of time, I'll talk to young artists and I'll compare it to being able to watch Picasso paint a stroke or Mozart conduct a symphony. That's what it was like going to set every day, working with these guys, and then taking time off, and you don't have to be under the pressure of acting. You can just sit and it's acting class, it's director class. It's Steven looking at you, explaining how he's putting the scene together. Dustin being Captain Hook and seeing the mastery of work he's doing. And just being in the presence of Robin Williams as he's just, does his thing, goes off, and just does the magic of Robin Williams. I mean, those guys were wonderful. And as a young actor at 15 and quite a serious actor, I'd go to the sets every day watching Hoffman films and asking questions about Lenny and about Midnight Cowboy and about Kramer vs. Kramer. Read his biographies and asked this and that about books. I had a great relationship with him as one of my heroes.
Of course with Robin, he just had a way of bringing you in and just welcoming me into Hollywood, really. I was a young kid coming into the world, and a lot of times you feel you're on the outside looking in. One day, Robin pulled me aside, and he was like, "Dante, where are you from?" I was explaining to him, "I'm from the Bay Area," and he goes like, "Oh, yeah, me too." I was like, "Oh, yeah, of course. Robin, everyone knows you're from San Francisco. You're a legendary San Francisco cat." And he goes, "No, but where's your family from originally?" I'm like, "Oh, I'm Filipino." And he goes, "Oh, I thought so." His wife at the time, Marsha, "My wife's half Filipino, and you totally remind me of my father-in-law." He starts talking about that and the culture and the family.
You feel like you're an outsider looking in a lot when you're in Hollywood. It's all these big movie stars at the big party. And even being on the set in the movie with them, you still feel like they're in their own little world. He had a way of putting his arm around me and going like, "No, man. You're welcome. This is for you." I'll never forget him for that.
One of my favorite things about this movie too, is you talk about the talent that was obviously on set like Robin Williams and Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman - but there were so many really famous cameos in this movie that a lot of people don't even realize are there.
Dante Basco: Wild, wild, wild. There's so many crazy cameos in Hook and it was something new to learn every day. People came on set. Phil Collins, which I went to set to go see him because, of course, this is 91 and Phil Collins is one of the biggest singers in the world at the time and was a very lovely guy.
Glenn Close, which a lot of people miss who's in the boo box. Of course, another big Glenn Close fan, I remember having a very interesting conversation with her because I'm a kid and I was talking to her about Fatal Attraction and she just looked at me like, "Oh, you like Fatal Attraction?" I was like, "Oh, my God, I love that movie." "You've seen that?" It was that kind of conversation. But I loved her in that film. She was so scary and sexy at the same time, and she's just an amazing actress.
There's David Cosby from Crosby, Stills and Nash [who] was one of the pirates, and he would be on the set a lot. Talking to him about folk music and just vibing out with him. He was such a sweet, sweet guy. So these things were happening. On top of that, people came to visit the set every day. They all signed the guest book of Hook. And at the end of the shoot, as one of our wrap presents, they gave us all the guest book of who came to the set of Hook, which is everyone in Hollywood, from Robert De Niro to Prince to Michael Jackson to Liza Minnelli to George Lucas.
I mean, not only would the people just want to come to see these sets and see the magic - we're all fans of Peter Pan. Peter Pan's not like an IP, an intellectual property, or a franchise. Peter Pan's a fairytale that we've all kind of been a part of. So everyone came to the set to see these people work. I mean, Maggie Smith playing Grandma Wendy. Amazing. There’s so many actors, Bob Hoskins. So working with all of these guys and people doing the cameo of parts, people doing one-day parts, but all just so many amazing actors working on the film, it's crazy to even think about now.
You're talking about stuff that's around you. Do you have Hook prized possessions/memorabilia around?
Dante Basco: Oh, yeah, let me see. I have some things. Let me see what I can pick up. There's some stuff that people don't really get to see. So fun stuff, the exclusives. There are things, like I have my Rufio toy, I sign these at Comic-Cons. [It's] is amazing to have your own toy at 15, was pretty fun. One thing I show people that kind of like a very deep cut is I actually have the sword.
Oh my God. So that’s the real one!
Dante Basco: That's the real one. This is the real sword. I did a lot of sword training on the set. I think I trained two or three months before we started shooting and then every day throughout the filming. So I'm very proud to say that all the sword work you see of Rufio was me doing all the sword work at 15.
I'm a dancer. I was a dancer before that, so a lot of the choreography's dance, so I really took to the swordplay. I'm very proud of all the swordplay. But even though when I lost the sword to Pan, I'm handing the sword, I still became very attached to that sword. And If you look at the tip of this sword, it's kind of like graveled out. That's the sword that we used when I made the line in the sand. That's the sword we used. So it wound up in my trailer and it was there for so long. It's been 30 years. I think the statute of limitation is over.
This is a nice piece that we got from set, it's our guest book. So it has these pictures from the film, which is amazing. Pictures that are just wonderful from the film. Hoskins, all the characters, all the great characters. But then what is also great is you see the guest list of the people that came to the set, and it's really crazy.
I was going to say rattle off a couple of names.
Dante Basco: Demi Moore, Glenn Close. I mean, Kate Capshaw, Billy Crystal, Penny Marshall. Rest in peace, Penny Marshall. Whoopi Goldberg, Twiggy, Warren Beatty, Holly Hunter. These are the guests that just came by. It's Quincy Jones. God, so many people.
I remember because I was on set one day and George Lucas was there and Carrie Fisher. And, of course, I'm a Star Wars fan, so it's not lost on me. Like, "Oh, it's Star Wars." Of course, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are really good friends. But when Tinkerbell's taking Peter to Neverland the first time, this little pixie dust gets sprinkled on the couple and they float in the London skyline, that's George Lucas and Carrie Fisher kissing. I remember. That was them. And I remember being on the set that day going, "Oh, he's kissing Princess Leia. What's going on?"
Then the last thing I'll show you is a personal gift. Like I told you, Dead Poets Society is one of my favorite films, and so my wrap present from Robin Williams was Leaves of Grass, this Walt Whitman book that they talk about in Dead Poets Society. He inscribed it for me, and so it's really one of my prized possessions because I love the movie so much and I love Robin and I love poetry. He's just an amazing, amazing person, and this was an amazing gift from him. So I keep some memorabilia around.
This is a tough one. If you could revisit any character you've played, maybe it's Zuko, maybe it's Rufio. Maybe it's somebody else. Who would you want to revisit? And what would you want to do?
Dante Basco: Good question. I mean, look, Zuko's probably my own favorite character. I did him for so many years, and we got a lot out of him. I love all the relationships I made during that time in my life, and I'm still close to a lot of those people.
I think Rufio, we got to go back to because I was so young, 15! We're around literally the gods of the industry, and I did do my best to be present. But to go back in one more moment in a working condition to talk to some of these people. Some have passed away. And to spend time with them, to get another piece of gold from them. They all gave me a lot of gold growing up, but to go back and try to get a little more gold and to know the things I know now as an adult. To go back there would be fun, to hang out in that world just for another day would be cool.
I wear my heroes on my sleeve. I always have, and I still do to a degree, but really finding your own voice and who you are. That's really the best advice that I've gotten, and I try to give it to the next generation of artists that I come across. It's like at the end of the day, we're all a million-to-one shot at best coming to this town to try to do our thing here. Whether you're Black, white, Asian, Latino, male, female, trans, gay, straight, we're a million-to-one shot at best, which is horrible. It could be 10 million to one. But the only shot you got, really, is you. So if you don't have the courage to show who you are, you don't even got a chance. So have the courage to find your voice and be you, do you.