Robin Williams: Famous 'Fool'

Robin Williams is the star of the new film What Dreams May Come, which follows his character's journey through heaven. In his case, heaven happens to be inside one of his wife's paintings.

But what would Williams choose as his own personal heaven? "I don't know," says Williams. "I mean, there'd be some place where I could still interact with amazing people."

With CBS 'This Morning' Co-Anchor Mark McEwen, Williams reminisced about the night he won the Academy Award for his role in Good Will Hunting (1997). He had been nominated three times before that - for Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). But Good Will brought him his first Oscar.

"It was actually kind of wonderful, because that whole night, you're riding around, going to these different parties, and I'm holding [the Oscar]Â…and people say, 'Can I have it?' and you're like a dog near food."

He credits his wife, Marsha Garces Williams, with encouraging him to take the role in Good Will Hunting that brought him the Oscar.

"A year or two ago, when she read it, she said, 'This is something very wonderful, and I think you have to do this.' And I said to her [on Oscar night], 'Thank you for convincing me,' because at first, I was going, 'Well, I don't know. Shut up. You do it.' She was very proud."

Asked by McEwen if he casually brings up the Oscar in conversations now, Williams says, "Not at allÂ… Oh! You mean like, 'Hello, I'm an Academy Award winner'Â…It's like now, it's part of a trademark: Robin Williams, Academy Award winner."

He notes that no one bothered to publicize his three previous Oscar losses. No one trumpeted him as "Robin Williams, Three-Time Loser." He adds, "Almost had it. Near miss - which sounds like a transsexual who's not all the way through the operation. 'And, now, welcome to the Near-Miss Pageant'."

Williams tells McEwen that he lists "fool" as the first qualification on his imaginary resume.

He adds, "Comedian-slash-actor sounds like some guy with a knife."