Mrs. Doubtfire stars Mara Wilson and Lisa Jakub reunited at Connecticut’s Hartford Convention Center last weekend for the first annual 90s Con.
Speaking about the movie — and their friendship — nearing its 30th anniversary, the two reflected on working with late comedy legend Robin Williams, who died by suicide in 2014.
“I have so many moments of him being kind and looking me in the eye and and talking to me very gently,” Wilson told ABC Audio. “He was a very gentle and quiet, introverted person underneath”
Wilson said Williams also often acted “silly, like making his carpet bag bark like a dog and making little hand puppets that would talk to you and make little jokes. …I consider myself incredibly lucky to have known him”
Said Jakub, “What was most meaningful to me was to see that human beneath the comedic act.” She said Williams “was very open about his issues with mental wellness” and taught her “it was okay to be vulnerable.”
“That really had a massive impact on me,” she revealed. Jakub has since launched the mental health resource platform Blue Mala.
Wilson and Jakub, who were six and 14 when filming Mrs. Doubtfire, shared how Sally Field and Williams teamed up to take care of them on set. Jakub said the two treated “us like we were their kids” by ensuring “we had time to just be kids and not always be working all the time.”
Wilson agreed the two were “parental,” and said, “Sally would get down to my level and help me with my lines… They treated us like we were kids, but they also helped us with our responsibilities.”
Mrs. Doubtfire opened in theaters on November 22, 1993 and won the Oscar for Best Makeup.
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.
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