Zelda had an interview air on The Today Show this morning, conducted by Kate Snow. You can see the videos in two parts, below. Zelda impressed me so much, especially in light of some of the invasive questions Snow was asking. Zelda talked about how she’s grieving following the loss of her dad, and how she’s trying to move forward in her life. Zelda came across as vulnerable and honest but straightforward and practical. Here’s some of what she said.
Grieving for her dad
For me especially it’s going to take a lot of work to allow myself the fun happy life that I had.
On the outpouring of love for her dad
There was an enormous outpouring of love from every corner of the world… the side of him that people know and love and that is attached to their childhood is the characters that he had so much fun being and that’s what’s important. I do think that’s what a lot of people will hold on to… for the most part it’s nice to have just our private life be our private life.
She was asked if she ever wonders why her dad committed suicide
I don’t think there’s a point [to wonder why]. It’s not important to ask.
People want to know why her dad took his own life
Diseases are – until we find out exactly how they work, we don’t have an explanation. There’s no one I can offer. A lot of people who have been through it and lost someone… who have gone on to lead very full lives know that there’s no point questioning it and there’s no point blaming yourself or the world… it happened so you have to continue to live and manage.
On public acceptance of mental illness
One of the things that is changing that is wonderful is that people are starting to approach talking about illnesses that people can’t immediately see. I want people to be more accepting.
It was important for [my dad] for people to talk about important things. He didn’t like people feeling like the things that were hard for them, they should go through alone. That’s the big legacy for him.
On what people should remember about her dad
People should remember what they want to remember of him. Who am I to guide what their childhood memories are of watching his movie.
Cele|bitchy | Zelda Williams on dad Robin’s suicide ‘we don’t have an explanation’
