Over 16,000 people want a bronze tribute statue of Robin Williams in the Boston Public Garden, including Matt Damon. Garry McLinn, a Boston local who’s worked at MIT, WGBH and Boston Lyric Opera raised the proposal shortly after Williams’ death in 2014. At the time, the petition already garnered over 10,000 signatures on Reddit, but since evolved into a petition.
On a recent press tour for Matt Damon and Casey Affleck’s new film, The Instigators, shot and filmed in Boston, Damon’s interviewer asked his thoughts on the possible tribute. Damon replied stating “I hope it comes to pass,” “it would be the most beautiful tribute.”
The proposal suggests the statue be next to the iconic bench that the duo filmed on over 26 years ago.
Good Will Hunting, written by and starring a 20-year-old Matt Damon and a 25-year-old Ben Affleck, alongside Robin Williams who won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Therapist Sean Maguire. Damon and Affleck also won the Oscar that year, which catapulted them from Boston into Hollywood stardom.
The petition is at 95% completion and needs only 5% more signatures to be one step closer to reality. You can sign here.