If you believe in fairies, there’s a good chance you grew up loving the 1991 film Hook.
The Steven Spielberg-directed adventure movie starred the late Robin Williams as Peter Pan. Well, he played Peter Banning, a grown-up version of the mischievous kid J. M. Barrie once wrote about, who ditched Neverland and eternal youth for a less adventurous life with Wendy Darling’s granddaughter Moira (Caroline Goodall).
That is until Captain Hook kidnaps his two young children, played by Charlie Korsmo and Amber Scott, leading Peter to return to his old stomping grounds and don his green tights once again.
The cast of Hook included recognizable stars Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts — but it’s the young actors who played the Lost Boys that made the film so special.
In honor of Hook‘s 30th anniversary, Dante Basco, who played Rufio, the triple-mohawked leader of the Lost Boys, watched Hook for the first time in ages — and admitted the film hit him a little differently all those years later.
“I mean, one of the things at first I realized is I’m probably right around the age of where Robin [Williams] was when Robin did the film, which just has a different vibe to it,” the actor told ScreenRant in October 2021. “We lost Robin, of course. So rest in peace, Robin. And then just [understanding] 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.”
For Basco, working with Williams, who died by suicide in 2014, was a master class in comedy — but also in humanity.
“He was such a loving and caring actor and mentor for me during that time in my life,” the former child actor, who was 15 when he made Hook, told ScreenRant.
Basco recalled how he and the Mrs. Doubtfire star would often talk about their shared love of poetry on set, which led the former to create Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles. “Robin Williams’ spirit is a part of all that,” he said.
The California native also remembered the Dead Poets Society actor as someone who made everyone on set feel included, which isn’t always the case on films of Hook’s caliber.
“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 said. “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.”
Keep scrolling to see where the cast of Hook is now: