Zelda Williams recalls past holidays with her family, including her late father, Robin Williams. The actress and filmmaker, 34, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE at the 21st Annual Unforgettable Asian and Pacific Islander Awards Gala in Beverly Hills on Saturday, when she talked about how the Williams family spent the holidays when she was growing up.
Noting that Robin’s busy schedule meant they bonded over “cooking” year-round instead of having a lot of holiday traditions, Zelda said, “Dad’s job made it pretty hard to have anything like an annual tradition, other than Thanksgiving or set day would shut down.”
“So we didn’t really have much in the way, but cooking together was a big part of our family,” she continued. “We would eat together every Tuesday, no matter how many family members were in town.”
Zelda Williams at the Unforgettable Gala Dinner held at the Beverly Hilton on December 16, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.
Elyse Jankowski/Variety via Getty
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As for who was involved in preparing the meals during each gathering, Zelda admitted that “not everyone” in the family was hands-on.
“My brothers and my dad weren’t good cooks,” she joked, adding, “But my mom and I would participate, and that was a big part of our family.”
Time together was a priority for the Williams family — which, when Zelda was growing up, included mom Marsha Garces Williams, as well as brothers Cody, now 31, and Zak, now 40, the latter of whom is Robin — who died in August 2014. — shared with his first wife, Valerie Velardi.
“Being together was an important thing, because otherwise, especially with people scattered to the wind with work, it became even more special to do it,” explained Zelda.
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Robin Williams and Zelda Williams at the premiere of “Old Dogs” at the El Capitan Theater on November 9, 2009 in Hollywood, California.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
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Zelda also described how the focus of the holiday season for her family is now spending time together and using the break to get away.
“Christmas is not a big deal in my family. We usually use it to see each other and then just travel,” she said.
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Following in her famous father’s Hollywood footsteps, Zelda, who acts and directs, recently directed a new film Lisa Frankensteinwhich should arrive in theaters next year.
Starring Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton, the zombie-themed film is set in the late ’80s and marks her feature directorial debut.
In 2022, Zelda shared a post on Xu (formerly known as Twitter) discussing her excitement about the project.
“I know Hollywood gets a bad rap for churning out sequels and remakes and reboots over and over and over again… and yes, it totally does!” she wrote.
“But it’s also finally allowing me to do the craziest, most beautiful zombie script I’ve ever read, and for that I’ll be forever grateful!” added Zelda.
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Zelda also spoke about the importance of the event she attended Saturday, which, according to the organization’s website, “commemorates API celebrities, influencers and leaders who have made significant contributions to entertainment, the arts and culture.”
“It’s interesting that a lot of people don’t know that I’m part Filipino, and especially as I’ve gotten older, I’ve wanted to be more open about it when it was so important to my childhood,” she told PEOPLE.
“It’s just, obviously I had a pretty private childhood as far as family was concerned, so [I’m] I try to be more in touch with it and work a lot more with my peers,” added Zelda.
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Source: HIS Education