The 16-year old Filipino American actor who burst on to the Hollywood scene with his portrayal of Rufio in Steven Spielberg’s Hook looks back fondly at his time with the Academy Award-winning director and working alongside Robin Williams.
Dante Basco, now 39, told News.com.au ” I asked Steven Spielberg why he gave me the part and he told me out of all the kids that auditioned for the role, that I was the only kid that scared him.”
Basco says Williams, who played Peter Banning, was the ball of energy that most fans saw, but he also had a deep love for poetry which he passed onto Basco.
“We talked about poetry more than anything,” said Basco. “Dead Poets Society was a very influential film on me and so talking about that movie with him, he just inspired me to continue writing poetry and we talked a lot about our favorite poets.
“My wrap present from Robin was a beautiful limited edition copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and that’s a great memory for me.
“Consequently I ended up opening a poetry venue out of my living room which is now the largest open mic poetry venue in America called The Poetry Lounge.”
Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of Hook.
You can enjoy more of Basco’s memories of working on the film and how it inspired many Asian Americans in News.com.au.
