‘Like Tears in Rain’: Rutger Hauer’s Goddaughter Honors Late Actor in Emotional Documentary

Rutger Hauer broke into the Hollywood zeitgeist through his iconic role of Roy Batty in the 1982 blockbuster Blade Runner. The prolific actor had already turned heads, enjoying a long career internationally, thanks to an unmistakable onscreen presence in the Netherlands with projects like the acclaimed Dutch film Turkish Delight. His career ultimately amassed more than 170 films and television productions over 50 years appearing in everything from his Tinseltown debut in Nighthawks, Sin City and Batman Begins to True Blood and Smallville. 

However, behind the camera the Golden Globe winner who passed away in 2019, remained an enigma. For his goddaughter Sanna Fabery de Jonge, this served as her motivation to bring audiences in a little deeper with the documentary Like Tears in Rain. The film, which makes its U.S. debut on the Viaplay streaming service on March 13, features candid interviews with family, friends and colleagues. 

Among them Whoopi Goldberg, Paul Verhoeven, Vincent D’Onofrio, Miranda Richardson, Robert Rodriguez, and Mickey Rourke. Threaded throughout are private, never-before-seen footage pulled from a few rolls of film and video tapes found in a box in his Netherlands home after his passing. Here Sanna Fabery de Jonge, who also serves as director, sits down to talk about the making and most eye-opening parts of the personal project. 

When did you decide you were making this documentary on Rutger? 

Sanna Fabery de Jonge: It was actually six months after his passing that we organized a very nice memorial for him because the funeral was very small and intimate. We were thinking we had to do something bigger because there were so many people who wanted to say goodbye. We organized something six months after his passing on his birthday, a very nice memorial.  We asked people to talk about Rutger and share their memories. Of course, I knew he was a special guy. This opened my eyes in a different way. There were so many people who had these amazing stories. How he influenced their lives and was important to them. I realized I had to do something with this. He is the most famous actor from the Netherlands, but I also know he had a huge career in the U.S. He was also very private. He and his wife never shared anything with the public. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to give a little glimpse of how he was as a person to all his fans?” Then I realized I want to make a documentary

How was it getting the blessing of his wife [Ineke ten Kate]? 

I had to ask his wife if she was okay with that. For her, it would also be the first time to share their private life. She really liked the idea, but also told me it was never going to happen because of just how difficult it is to make film and get the money. I started then. I knew from the stories I heard because he and my dad were friends that they always filmed on 8mm. I knew there was a little bit at my father’s house. I also knew Rutger filmed everything behind the scenes as well. I asked his wife, “Where is the footage?” She responded with, “You didn’t know?” This is a horrible story, but he had a storage in Los Angeles and there was this flood where everything was destroyed. It was huge trauma that he never talked about because this was his life. Memories, collections of everything he did. I said, “Maybe there is something else.” I thought about where to find the rest of this footage to make the film. She told me I could look in the attic, which is where I found a box. 

I love the title of the doc because it’s a nod for Blade Runner fans. That 42-word monologue of his character. 

It’s also his own words. He changed the script. He also wrote a lot of poetry and worked on words and sentences and wanted to make scripts better. I knew in the back of my mind I had to do something on that. I was looking for a title, and thought about this important role. I knew I wanted to put that together with his death in the film. When I was thinking how to end it, I thought about the iconic scene where he dies on top of the roof. Of course, these are his own words. It all came together. 

2019 was also the same year his character died, right? Crazy. 

That is crazy. Blade Runner is set all these years in the future, and then he dies in 2019. That gave me chills. 

What was it like to sit down with some of his celebrity friends? I think when Whoopi called Rutger her first real friend in Hollywood, that really drove home their bond. 

I didn’t know that before. I knew they were friends, but I didn’t know how close they were. She told me they were trying to make a documentary together, but they didn’t get off the ground due to financing. That material also got lost somewhere. I think it’s the same with Mickey Rourke and Robert Rodriguez in that they are all people who do what they want and are choosing their own path. I think that’s the connection between them and Rutger. When I look back, it made sense that these people are his friends. 

They gravitate toward each other. 

Yeah. I think Robert Rodriguez says something to the effect of they are in the same tribe. 

I think Mickey Rourke says in the film as well that Rutger was the only person he’d like to share a meal with more than one time. Something like that. 

Yes. I also didn’t know Mickey was so touched by his death. When we started filming, he was very emotional. That was new to me because I grew up in the Netherlands, so I didn’t really know these people before. This was the first time I met them. Rutger really didn’t talk about what he did in Hollywood or who his friends were. They were all speaking so lovingly about him and so warm. The connection was so real. I could really see it. 

I think it’s also a testament to their friendship that they were willing to sit down with you. I’m not sure many of them do many of these. 

They were all very kind and warm. They were very willing to talk about him. They were willing to share their stories. I felt very grateful for that. It was an amazing experience. I flew to New York for Whoopi and Vincient, and Austin for Robert Rodriguez. Mickey was in LA, which was easy because it’s where I live. They all knew so many things about him. These crazy stories like the one of him going on the motorbike in Australia into nowhere and finding this herd of kangaroos. 

Did you try to get Sylvester Stallone or Harrison Ford for this project? 

I did. Sylvester didn’t want to participate. Harrison, I think he wanted to do it, but in the end I’m not sure what happened. I know he and Harrison didn’t have a lot of scenes together. I think they only had two or three days together filming. I’m not sure they knew each other very much. So in the end, I think it was okay. Christopher Nolan, too, said yes. I knew he had a special connection with Rutger. When we were shooting, he was doing his press tour for Oppenheimer. We were not able to get all these schedules together. He was very willing to be a part of the documentary because he is a big fan of Blade Runner, The Hitcher. They did Batman Begins together. 

What is most fascinating perhaps is when you weave in the family and friends back home, especially hearing from his wife and the incredible love story they had. There was also the close friendship they had with your parents. 

I knew I wanted to do this personal line into it. This was my point-of-view and how I saw him at first. I wanted people to know how the connection came about. I also didn’t want to put myself too much in front of the camera, so I had to find this balance. I hope people like it this way. You go into the story with Rutger and his life with Ineka. They were very special together. They were like two artists who understood themselves very well. They enjoyed life and adventure. He was a very adventurous guy. 

He also went home. He came to the States to work, but always went back. I think that showed he had a deep-rooted love for where he came from. 

They rented a little apartment, so when they were here they had a place. However, their home was their home. 

What do you think he would think of you doing this documentary? 

I talked about it with his wife. I think if he were to live, I think he would have said it wasn’t necessary to make something about him because he didn’t have this big ego. Or he would have said to do it, but he would have wanted to control it. His wife says, “I think he would be proud.” It was very scary for her to open, even though she knows me very well. She told me she would only do it with me because she trusted me. Now she is really happy about it because we made a tribute to this wonderful man. She loves the movie and says he would be very proud. 

You must have felt immense pressure to get it right. 

I did feel the pressure. It was emotional at times. You are working on it and are the director, but sometimes you are in the edit room. I have this footage where it’s him talking into the camera. I would think, ‘Is he talking to me?” It was so weird. It was really personal as well, sometimes difficult. 

What kind of legacy do you think he will leave in your eyes? 

What I hope and what I understood from people who saw it in the Netherlands. What I want as well. It’s to give people inspiration. To just stay close to yourself. Do what you think is right and enjoy life. Don’t think about what other people are thinking of you. Rutger never thought about that. He just thought about what was good or what he thought he should do. He always saw a lot of fun in things. I think sometimes people lose that part. We should just embrace life a little bit more. Do some fun things. I had a few people after say to me, “Okay, now I’m going to buy that boat.” Or, “I’m going to hop in an RV and take a few months off.” Rutger had this great joy for life and adventure. It really stayed true to himself. 

Like Tears in Rain premiere, March 13, Viaplay U.S. (streaming service add-on subscription on Prime Video Channels).