Eric Roberts recalls Robin Williams pranking Julia Roberts

When Julia Roberts first visited her brother Eric Roberts in New York, he wanted to make a lasting impression, so he asked a favor of one of his most famous friends.

In his new memoir Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far, the storied character actor recalled asking Robin Williams to play a strange prank on his future superstar sister. The story began at Cafe Central — a "hip, happening place where people loved to congregate," including Cher , Al Pacino , Christopher Walken , Andy Warhol , Tom Berenger, and Roberts. "I had just seen Robin Williams there several days earlier, and that had impressed [Julia]," Roberts recalled. "I told Robin, 'My baby sister's gonna be in town this week. Gotta freak her out for me.'" Williams responded, "Yeah, no problem. Okay."

Roberts said that Williams surprised his sister during a meal at Cafe Central. "So I'm in one of the windows with Julie and we're having a hamburger, and here comes Robin Williams," Roberts remembered. "He walks over, looks at her, opens the door, grabs her hamburger, and bolts out the door. Julie freaks out, 'Was that Robin Williams?!'" Roberts responded, "I think it was, honey." The future Pretty Woman star exclaimed, "He took my hamburger!"

Roberts said that this was the exact type of manic surprise that he expected from Williams. "That was Robin being Mork, because he was already in that hit show Mork and Mindy, which was tailor-made for his antic spirit," he wrote. "I was delighted to be able to impress my baby sister!"

Julia Roberts and Williams went on to costar in Steven Spielberg 's Hook in 1991. The Dead Poets Society actor played Peter Banning, a.k.a Peter Pan, in the film, while the Notting Hill actress portrayed Tinker Bell.

Later in that chapter of his memoir, Eric Roberts further detailed his relationship with Williams. "Robin was always giving me advice. To tell the truth, he was a bit pompous about his intelligence," he wrote. "On half a dozen occasions, it would be, 'You need to know this, you know that' — that kind of thing."

For example, Roberts said Williams told him that he had to fight against his "arrogant" looks, despite both actors insisting that Roberts isn't arrogant in reality. "You look arrogant, dude. People think you are," Williams said. "I know you're not, but people think you are, man, and you gotta fight against that."

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Roberts also said that after he expressed his desire to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Runaway Train in 1986, Williams lectured him about artistry and the Hollywood system. "You've let them take you down their road, man!" Roberts recalled Williams saying. "He gave me his big speech about how 'they' had made me think like them — the establishment that runs this f-ing business. 'They're not artists!' He said I was an artist, but I wasn't acting like one because I wanted to win. But no matter what he said, I still wanted to win the f-ing award."

Roberts noted that Williams, who ultimately won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting in 1998, later felt the weight of his own stardom. "Robin wasn't immune to the allure of movie fame and success," he wrote. "In the last phase of his life, he felt he was almost as recognized as Robert De Niro , and he kind of acted like it. But I thought he was cool. In fact, I liked everything about the Robin I knew, and I was devastated when he took his own life."

Eric Roberts' memoir Runaway Train: Or the Story of My Life So Far is available now.