In the glamourous world of Hollywood, where larger-than-life figures often dominate the spotlight, stars like Robin Williams shine not only for their talents but also for their compassion and warmth off-screen. The late actor, who worked with numerous talents throughout his career, has been praised by many of his co-stars, including by the young actors he shared the screen with.
Lisa Jakub, who starred alongside Willaims in Mrs. Doubtfire, also recalled how the actor supported her during the production of the 1993 comedy film, during a recent cast reunion with Mara Wilson and Matthew Lawrence.
Robin Williams Supported His Mrs. Doubtfire Co-Star
The 1993 film follows a divorced father, who disguises himself as an elderly woman to meet with his children, played by Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, and Mara Wilson. While the film was a huge hit, it was not easy for the child stars to cope with the filming and their studies.
The cast shared that they had “tutoring, three hours of schoolwork” on set every day. However, things got even more complicated for Jakub when she received a termination notice from her school. During a recent cast reunion at the Brotherly Love podcast, the actress shared that she had an arrangement with her school while working on the movie.
However, after a few months into filming, she “got thrown out of high school.” Jakub, who was in 9th grade, was devastated by her termination. However, upon learning about the situation, Robin Williams stepped in to defend her against her termination. “It was a really difficult thing,” she recalled.
She further recalled, “The amazing thing was Robin saw that I was upset.” The late actor then wrote a letter to her school, urging the school to share their support for Jakub as pursued her studies and career at the same time. The principal certainly found the letter from the Hollywood star amusing and even framed it to put it in the office.
However, the school refused to re-admit Jakub. It did not stop her from pursuing further studies, and she joined the University of Virginia after leaving Hollywood at 22. Lawrence, who was also kicked out of his school, shared that Williams’ letter of recommendation helped him get into the University of Southern California.
Jumanji Stars Reflected on Robin Williams’ Protective Nature
Not only the Mrs. Doubtfire actors, but Robin Williams’ Jumanji co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce have also shared their joyful experiences working with him. Reflecting on her experience working on the 1995 film, Dunst described the late actor as a “generous, kind, funny person.”
Her co-star, Bradley Pierce, who was 13 at the time, also reminisced about Williams’ protective nature towards the cast. In an interview with CBCListen, he recalled how filming one of the scenes was particularly complicated due to his extensive makeup which even made it hard for him to breathe.
The shoot lasted for eight days, leaving everyone exhausted. However, the producer still wanted him and Dunst to work a few extra hours. “Children can only be on set for a number of hours,” he shared. After the Good Will Hunting star learned about the arrangement, he strictly denied pursuing such measures.
“He said, ‘No, we are not doing any extra time,” he recalled, as per The Independent, before adding, “You’re going to let everybody out now and we’re going to come back next week,” as he explained that Williams was not only “generous” but also very protective of them while they filmed the movie.
Mrs. Doubtfire is available to stream on Disney+.
Jumanji (1995) is available to stream on Prime Video.
