The original version of this quote was actually, “You’ve never known someone that could kill you with a look”, and the difference between the two speaks volumes. “You’ve never known someone who could level you with their eyes” The revised version, while acknowledging just how problematic Will really is, does so with a touch of humanism and respect. This line, and much of the original script, belittles Will. With a line like this, Sean would no longer be the compassionate and sensitive mentor viewers adore, but just another rigid authority figure in Will’s life.
So, it makes sense it was cut when changing the original script. Coming from caring therapist Sean, however, this line is anything but fitting. A cutting line like this would have fit right in with this pattern. “I don’t see a peer… I don’t see an equal”Īll of Will’s life, he’s been judged and looked down upon. But now, this small statement of forgiveness gives way to the heartfelt emotion in the scene a scene about forgiveness and growth, not bitterness. Without it, in an older draft, Sean comes off as angry and unforgiving, setting out to put Will in his place. This small comment sets the entire tone of one of the most endearing scenes in the film.
You don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.” Despite Will’s unsurprisingly sarcastic quip that followed: “why thank you,” Sean only says a gentle, “It’s alright”. Robin Williams, as Will Hunting’s benevolent therapist Sean, tells us about his realization with Will’s outburst: “You’re just a kid. Here are five script to screen changes in this Good Will Hunting scene we’re glad were made.Īfter a tension-filled first meeting and borderline violent therapy session, Robin Williams and Matt Damon reconcile on a park bench in what is undoubtedly one of the most famous and touching scenes of the film. We looked into the lines added and omitted from the original script in the iconic park bench scene between a troubled, apologetic Will and his kind-hearted therapist Sean. Its script has been praised and awarded many times over, but few are aware of just how many changes took place to create the version we know and love. These are just a few of the reasons why the film Good Will Hunting is so adored by critics and audiences alike. A troubled Matt Damon, a British love interest, a warm-hearted Robin Williams, and a poignant storyline of love, friendship, and redemption.