During the 1990s, the late Hollywood star Robin Williams collaborated with the filmmaker Chris Columbus on two projects, Mrs. Doubtfire and Bicentennial Man. And on the 30th anniversary of their 1993 hit movie, the filmmaker shared about working with the Oscar-winning actor. During a recent interview with Business Insider, the Harry Potter director talked up about Williams’ exceptional improvisational skills in the Academy Award-winning film, revealing that they required four cameras to film the whole movie.
Robin Williams’ Improvisation in Mrs. Doubtfire Was Captured Using Four Cameras
Robin Williams and Chris Columbus first worked together on the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire. The movie follows a recently divorced actor who disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children. The film was a box office hit and won the Oscar for Best Makeup.
During a recent interview with Business Insider, the movie’s director shed light on Williams’ unique approach to the film. He recalled the actor’s desire to improvise during a conversation, saying, “Hey boss, the way I like to work if you’re up for it, is I’ll give you three or four scripted takes, and then let’s play.”
The Home Alone director agreed with his terms and allowed Williams to embark on his improvisation after filming the scripted scenes. “Robin would go off, and it was something to behold,” he shared before further stating that he would only stop when they were out of the film.
He shared that the Jumanji star would change every take and that he improvised so much that he needed four cameras for Mrs. Doubtfire’s filming. Columbus also shared that they shot almost 2 million feet of film during the comedy drama’s production.
Chris Columbus Denied Mrs. Doubtfire Sequel Possibilities
Chris Columbus shared that the actor was initially against a sequel. However, they later discussed it and even had a “really strong” script. “He and I didn’t talk about a sequel until the year he passed away,” Columbus told Business Insider. The filmmaker also shared that Williams was concerned about wearing the suit in the sequel, as it was “physically demanding.”
He said that the actor was presumably thinking about cutting back the title character during the rewrite before he passed away in 2014. Columbus emphatically stated there would never be a sequel to the 1993 comedy film, particularly after the loss of its leading star. He also claimed that he would be “very vocal” about it if the studio were to consider a sequel to the beloved movie.
Mrs. Doubtfire is available on Disney+.
