Iconic improv actor Robin Williams tragically passed away in 2014 after ending his life. Fourteen years later, he’s still well-loved and remembered by all who knew him.
Williams starred in the 1993 film “Mrs. Doubtfire,” in which he masqueraded as a British nanny to spend more time with his children amid his pending divorce. The child actors from the film recently reunited and had nothing but lovely things to say about their onscreen father.
The ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Child Stars Fondly Remember Robin Williams Making Them Laugh
Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, and Mara Wilson played Robin Williams’ children in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Decades later, they still have wonderful memories of their time with the late actor. The trio appeared at a “Mrs. Doubtfire” cast reunion to speak about their experience, as reported by PEOPLE.
“One of my favorite memories is when we were doing the petting zoo scene, and we were outside and I’m riding the pony, and he took his hat off, and he put oats into his hat for the pony to eat,” Mara Wilson shared. “And the pony ate it out of his hat. Then, he turned to me with this hat, full of oats and pony slobber, and said, ‘Wanna wear it?’ And that’s just classic Robin.”
“I must have made a disgusted face because I remember them yelling cut and everybody laughing after that. And he really knew just what to do to make kids laugh. He’d make little hand puppets like this, argue back and forth with each other,” the 38-year-old recalled.
The Later Actor Provided Comfort to the Children
Though Robin Williams adored making the children laugh, he also provided stability and comfort when they needed it. Lisa Jakub played the oldest daughter in the movie and revealed she was kicked out of school for excessive absences while filming.
“I was very upset about this. Being kicked out of school when you’re 14 years old is a little bit upsetting,” Jakub remembered.
“Robin was the kind of person who if he saw that any one of us was upset or not okay, he would check on us. He asked me what was wrong,” the 47-year-old continued. “I explained what had happened and he wrote a letter to my principal, which I still have. It was an incredibly kind, lovely letter saying, ‘Lisa is just trying to pursue her career and get her education at the same time, so can you please support her in that?'”
Jakub added that her principal framed Robin Williams’ letter, but never asked her to return to school. Even so, she explained that she shared the story to highlight Williams’ character.
“It’s a story about how kind Robin was,” the former child star added. “It’s a story about the fact that Robin saw some kid he was working with who he did not have to take the time to care about, and he wrote this unbelievable letter. He really kind of went out of his way for me, which he did for all of us in various ways. And we all had different kinds of connections with him. And he went through the trouble to connect with us as individuals. I can tell you it did not happen on every set.”
🙏🏻😔 I really miss this man 🙏🏻😔