this is "nightline." >> tonight, robin's secret, the major revelation from robin williams' wife today. aside from alcohol and depression, the comedian had a secret struggle. as the tributes pour in, we're with two men that helped women ma williams become his character. plus, he's surrounded by man-eaters and he likes it that way. how and why shark junkies are pushing the limits to get up close to some of the deadliest predators on the planet.

and hands up, don't shoot. the striking images flooding the web tonight, after the death of that unarmed 18-year-old in ferguson, missouri. plus, here she was at 22. what a difference two years makes. yep. that's taylor swift in "the giver," a movie decades in the making. how hollywood heavyweights, merril, katie and others brought it alive. first, "the nightline five." >> zantac works in 30 minutes with relief without the wait. no pill relieves faster. there's a saying in our family. you can do anything if you keep a good head on your shoulders. that's why we use head & shoulders shampoo and conditioner. head & shoulders, the world's number one dandruff

good evening. we begin here with that major revelation today from the wife of robin williams. we've now learned that in his final days, williams was dealing not only with depression and the battle to stay sober, but also something else. something he wasn't ready to tell the world about. tonight, nick watt bring the comedian's secret struggle. and nick sits down with the men telling the real story behind one of robin williams' signature roles. >> reporter: in his standup, robin williams didn't shy away from his demons. >> you see, as an alcoholic, you will violate your standards quicker than you can lower them. you will do [ bleep ] that even the devil would go, dude. >> reporter: today, his wife, telling the world of a battle williams hadn't been ready to talk about. robin's sobriety was intact,

susan schneider said in a written statement. he was brave as he struggled with depression, anxiety and early stages of parkinson's disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly. >> early parkinson's consists of tremor and a little bit of slowness and perhaps postural changes. >> reporter: it's often an integral part of the disease. 20% to 40% suffer severe depression. >> i wouldn't want to leave people that there's a relationship between parkinson's and depression. people can be discouraged when they hear about the diagnosis. that's different than being depressed. >> reporter: michael j. fox who was diagnosed with parkinson's, tweeted, stunned to learn robin had p.d. pretty sure his support for our

foundation predated his diagnosis. a true friend. i wish him peace. susan, williams' widow, hopes might live in how he died. it's our hope in the wake of robin's tragic passing, that others will get the care and support they need to treat the battles they are facing, so they may feel less afraid. >> we want to give the thoughts and prayers to his family. >> reporter: on broadway, the cast of "aladdin" and the man filling williams' genie shoes, paid an appropriate tribute. >> you little genius, you. >> reporter: since robin williams' death, it is this role, the genie in aladdin, that many are choosing to remember him by. >> al, all joking aside, just be yourself. >> reporter: the genie is a cartoon manifestation, voiced by williams. >> i wanted to be him.

>> reporter: drawn by animator eric goldberg, a movie made by our parent company, disney. >> he just speaks to robin's immense abilities and warmth. >> 10,000 years will give you such a crick in the neck. >> reporter: this was a role created for williams, in a time before big movie stars voice animated movies and a time before real belly-laugh humor was a cornerstone of big-screen cartoons. >> but never duplicated. duplicat duplicated. >> reporter: robin williams' genie changed all that. >> we were animators. >> reporter: the directors took a risk and wrote the role for williams. and to convince him to take it, goldberg animated lines from an old williams comedy album. >> before we do the play, i want to talk about the serious

subject of schizophrenia. >> i had the genie grow another head to argue with him in the animation. that clicked with him. >> there was a script. we started with a script. >> aladdin. nice to have you on the show. can we call you al? maybe just din. >> when we got robin in the booth, if that's a road map, then robin took lots of detours. >> there's a popsicle stand. >> his energy would grow and grow and grow. >> not bad. good night, alice. >> we were at a point, we have so much stuff. this is incredible. he would do, let me do it again. l >> let's make some magic. >> reporter: the world of aladdin, captured some of that magic. >> we didn't expect him to come back with all of the celebrity impressions the first time we recorded him. >> i never did it. i am not at fault. you need more power, jim. don't be afraid. you had it all along.

>> so, we readapted. we incorporated robin's riffs into the fabric of the film. >> the ever-impressive -- all right, sparky, here's the deal. >> not many people will recognize the impression of william f. buckley. >> there's a few -- >> we work with some of them. that doesn't matter. >> and sometimes he would just say a hysterically funny line only once. and we would have to pluck it out. for example, when he was the bee. >> stop it. >> buzz off. >> you know, it was once. he only did it once. >> okay. fine. but remember, bee yourself. >> yeah, right. >> he can do so much with his voice to make it expressive, to make it change, to make it be different characters. >> reporter: and to have that voice attached to that brain. >> yeah.

exactly. it's kind of a one-two punch there, really. >> come on, kid, see? got to get the snake, see? no substitutions, exchanges or refunds. >> a mind that was special and unique and went to places most of us have never been. >> the spirit and his passion and his connection to both the characters in the movie and the audience, i don't think that's going to dim over the years. >> genie, i'm going to miss you. >> reporter: eric goldberg drew this tribute to robin williams. >> he was a real-life genie. and, boy, did he grant our wishes. >> no matter what anybody says, you will always be a prince to me. >> reporter: i'm nick watt, for "nightline," in los angeles. coming up on "nightline," the guy who makes his living by transforming himself into shark bait to get images of some of the most fierearsome animals on bait to get images of some of the most fierearsome animals on earth. so i was honest with my .

i told him i'd been feeling stuck for a long time. he said that for some people, an antidepressant alone only helps so much and suggested we add abilify (aripiprazole). he said that by taking both, some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. i wish i'd talked to my doctor sooner. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition. or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. other risks include increased cholesterol, weight gain, decreases in white blood cells, which can be serious, dizziness on standing, seizures, trouble swallowing and impaired judgment or motor skills. [ terri ] since adding abilify, i feel better. abilify and my antidepressant make a pretty good team.

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sharks are having a real moment right now, from the popularity of shark week on discovery, to the gusto with which we in the media cover every shark attack. and if sharks are becoming celebrities of the sea, somebody needs to play paparazzo, right? tonight, you're going to meet a guy who has volunteers for that job. and even though he takes enormous risks, he is more worried about what his amateur imitators are doing. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: he's the ultimate thrill-seeker. >> mate, good luck. >> reporter: he is great white shark bait. for 11 months out of the year, andy calls these dangerous shark-infested waters home.

his job is to film these oceanic predators up close. extremely close. andy is one of the only photographers willing to dive with these great whites. >> there's something different about these whites. they are truly the world's wildest white sharks. and i'm really excited to get in the water with them. >> reporter: once you're out, what stops a shark from coming up and deciding that you're din center. >> yeah. that's always a factor to consider, that you will get a shark that wants to take a bite. i try to be really calm and zen about it because, you know, you can't be constantly panicked and frantic or the sharks pick up on that and feed into that energy. and they start bullying you around. >> reporter: just last year, the team came face-to-face with an 18-foot aggressive great white the locals nicknamed slash. today, andy and his crew were off the coast of new zealand, one of the largest populations of great white sharks on the earth. >> we may be coming face-to-face with the largest great white shark ever seen on this planet. >> reporter: they're on a

mission, to find a group of massive great whites recorded in the area, and capture it on camera for discovery's shark week, airing all this week. andy ventures down, first, without a cage. then, decides -- it's way too dangerous. this time, within minutes, andy is surrounded, with sharks investigate their prey. things get extremely tense. >> i got three sharks surrounding. and there's a really big one. >> reporter: finally, the sharks disperse. but the team things one of these sharks can lead them to the megashark, slash. they decide to place a tracking camera on a shark's fin. i think if i get this on one white shark, we'll see multiple white sharks. >> reporter: but to get close enough, andy goes out in a tiny boat. >> here he comes. four in the boat.

yeah. the fin cam is on. this is going to be awesome. >> reporter: thanks to shows like discovery's shark week, people are more fascinated by sharks than ever. some shark junkies take their fascination to the extreme, looking for a quick thrill and bragging rights on youtube. this florida teen hitched a ride on a whale shark last summer. and this guy jumped in with a shark, thinking a bird cage would protect him. all for a viral video. >> whoa. >> reporter: this nantucket fisherman garnered online fame when this video of him wrestling a shark to shore went viral. >> people think i'm crazy. it's wild to run into the water and grab a shark by its tail. in my mind, it wasn't that big of a deal. and anyone who catches sharks regularly, it's what you do. >> reporter: he used to drag the

sharks to shore for fun. but after criticism from conservationists, he started a shark tagging club for research. we followed him out to the beaches of nantucket, to get up close. the bait is only in the water for a few minutes when elliot snags a sand bar shark, nearly seven feet long. >> here we go. you only want to drag them when they're in the water like this, so it slides easy. >> reporter: he wrestles it to land, tags it, measures it, before releasing it. elliot is no scientist. but believes his work is helping researchers gather data about these majestic creatures. some experts question his methods. >> see you later, boy. >> i think the value of the data and the knowledge gained from learning about these sharks outweighs the potential harm to the shark. >> reporter: this is the 34th shark elliot has caught and tagged this year. not only are shark populations rising along u.s. coastal

waters -- >> shark, get out of the water. shark. >> reporter: but so are the attacks. just last month, steve robles came face-to-face with a great white. >> you just hear everything crunch. >> reporter: shark attacks are rare. but with more surfers and thrill-seekers venturing into infested waters, it's a dangerous combination. >> we're entering the shark's realm. it's not like sharks are coming to the beaches to hunt us. we're going into the shark's territory, so, occasionally they make mistakes. >> reporter: off the coast of new zealand, andy and his team continue tracing the path of the fin cam. they think they pinpointed the location. and decide to take a night dive. it's immediately a feeding frenzy. great whites on every side. the team is taken by surprise. the sharks disperse. and suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive great white emerges from the darkness.

>> that was -- >> that looked unbelievable, man. >> reporter: back with his family, shark pro, andy, says the potential for danger won't deter him from doing it all over again. have you dialed things back a little bit, now that you're a husband and father? >> yeah. you know, i love these guys. i still take risks. but they're always calculated. and i'm safe as possible. so, you know, you can die at any time in any way. i'm just going to make sure i do it right. and always come home, right? >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm linsey davis, in new york. coming up next on "nightline," meryl streep, katie holmes, taylor swift and the movie so controversial, it took two decades to get made. it's time to bring it out in the open. it's time to drop your pants for underwareness, a cause to support the over 65 million people

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it is the movie that one hollywood star fought for two decades to get made. a tale for teens, based on a book so controversial, it's been banned in some schools. now, this movie, "the giver," is a reality. it's chock full of celebrities. and tonight, my "nightline" co-anchor, juju chang, has the story behind the story. >> reporter: long before ckatnis triumphed in "the hunger games," there was "the giver." the award-winning novel, launched a genre. joining them now on the silver screen is "the giver," about a

society, where all pain, jealousy and violence have been erased. so, too, have passion, joy and love. the characters literally see the world in black and white. no color. the story is required reading in some schools. but banned in others. jeff bridges, who plays the title character, has been trying to get this movie made for 20 years. >> i think some of the financiers were concerned about the fact it was a banned book. originally wanted to direct my father, lloyd bridges, in the film. when i saw this cover and i saw this grizzled guy. >> reporter: what's it like to step into those shoes and be the giver? >> i turned into that grizzled guy on the cover of the book. i look more and more like me. i could do that part. >> reporter: meryl streep gives a wicked performance as the chief elder, enforcing the society's strict rules. >> you must know that jonas has become dangerous. >> reporter: katie holmes plays a brain-washed mother, whose character seems chillingly

processed. >> your injection levels are extremely low. i can correct this. >> reporter: taylor swift makes a cameo. in this video, the singer, who is known for her blonde trusses, is unrecognizable, here in this brown wig. >> she's the one they're all talking about. ♪ on my fingers >> she was wonderful in the part. we jammed a little bit between scenes. broke out our guitars and sang a bit. >> reporter: jeff bridges plays the giver, the only person in society, who holds memories of pain. but he begins to question the rules, as he passes the secrets on to his young protprotege, th receiver. >> we can be envies you, angry, consumed with hatred. >> reporter: there's interesting things like euthanasia, and the call to rebellion.

>> those are the movies i like to see. >> reporter: a trio of rising stars is led by quentin brate. >> it's cool to find an identity. >> reporter: at its core, the story remains an edgy, cautionary tail. >> we can get lost in our comfort. but that costs us our humanity. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm juju chang, beverly hills, california. >> big thanks to juju chang for that story. "the giver" opens in theaters tomorrow. we want to leave you with the latest on the situation in ferguson, missouri, a town on the edge, after the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old named michael brown. there's been protests tonight. potentially the result of the state highway patrol taking over security from local ferguson police. there's been protests across the country, tonight, including in times square, in new york city, and in washington, d.c. finally, though, we want to take

note of something going viral right now. people posting pictures with the #handsupdon'tshoot. powerful images from across america. these are students at howard university. and it's not just african-americans taking a stand. white faces, too, and white hands, as well, in many of these pictures. thank you for watching "nightline" tonight. tune into "gma" first thing in the morning for the latest news. and we're online 24/7, at abcnews.com. thanks again for watching. and good night. hey.hey, andy. how you doin', andy?ou we should spray. you look like you're losing weight. nah, i just gave up tucking in my shirt. you here to tell everybody your big news? andy got a new job booking guests on a national radio show.

oh, congratulations, andy. wow...this proves it. the ladies like guys with jobs. whose show is it? jerry musso, big sports radio g guy. i've heard jerry musso. never cared for him. nobody asked you. this is a good opportunity for andy, and i told him that i would do the show. you know, throw him a bone. actually, ray, that's what i came over to tell you. i'm afraid i i have to... return your bone. what do you mean? i'm not gonna be able to book you on the show. why not? jerry musso doesn't like you. doesn't like me? what station is he going to be on? doesn't like me-- what did he say? what were his exact words? i dididn't hear from him. i was going over my list with the exexecutive producer, and he saw your name, and he goes, "oh, jerry's never gonna go for this.