Robin Williams has left a remarkable legacy in Hollywood due to his acting work that put smiles on many faces. While his improvisational skills often surprised many, his kindness, compassion, and philanthropy genuinely won many hearts, let alone his co-stars.
During his time in 1995’s Jumanji, he made sure to take a stand for young actors to save them from film producers who were ready to cross boundaries to complete the production process.
Robin Williams Stood Up for His Young Co-stars in Jumanji
Robin Williams starred alongside young actors, Bradley Pierce and Kirsten Dunst in Joe Johnston’s directed film, Jumanji. Given that the young actors further elevated fans’ attention on the project, having the then-young kids was found to be a fruitful decision for the producers however it came at quite a restriction.
Due to child actor labor laws, work hours restrictions have to be followed but producers were ready to cross past that. It happened when they were filming the monsoon scene which was filmed in a water tank.
“We were filming the monsoon scene and I think it was day 7 or 8 in that rain tank.”
Due to hours restrictions, the filming was getting delayed which meant an increase in production cost.
Filming the whole sequence was itself a tiresome process which is why producers tried to ask the kids’ parents for their permission to work overtime. In a 2020 interview with CBC Listen, Pierce shared,
“Producers approached our parents and said, ‘We’ve only got a half hour left of shooting, is there anyway we can do a little bit of overtime just to get it done?’ “
But, the late actor got the news and eventually came to save them.
“Robin basically caught wind of these conversations happening, and apparently he pulled the director and producers aside and said ‘No, we are not doing any extra time. You’re going to let everyone out of the pool now, and we’re going to come back next week.'”
He continued,
“For all the dollars that would have cost, nobody else could have stood up the way he did.”
Not just that, he has often accompanied the then-young actor when he used to sit for long hours for makeup to be applied to him. For the unversed, Pierce was turned into a monkey for some time in the film, which is why he had to film in heavy makeup. However, the late actor’s generosity was a huge gesture for the latter. However, this project was the same one that rejected Marvel actress, Scarlett Johansson.
Scarlett Johansson Was Unable to Bag a Role in Jumanji
The 1995 film became the foundation of the popular Jumanji franchise after making a huge impact on critics and movie enthusiasts. In the movie, the role of Judy Shepherd, which eventually went to Dunst was also coveted by MCU actress. She even auditioned for the role but lost the project.
However, it was not something that would impact her much since she was just a kid at the time.
“That is true, yeah. I wasn’t bitter enough then,” Johansson said during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. “Now, I’m bitter.”
She did enjoy the film as a moviegoer when it was released. It was a massive success both critically and commercially grossing $263 million worldwide on a budget of $65 million.
Source: CBC
