All the feels! Pierce Brosnan, Mara Wilson, Lisa Jakub, and Matthew Lawrence reunited for the 25th anniversary of Mrs. Doubtfire — and reflected on the late Robin Williams.
Brosnan (Stu Dunmeyer), Wilson (Nattie Hillard), Jakub (Lydie Hillard) and Lawrence (Chris Hillard) all gathered around a table for a special Today Show interview, where they took a look back on the memories they shared, which included a lot of wisdom, and laughter, from Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire).
“It’d be like, ‘OK, take 25!'” Wilson, 31, laughed while recalling Williams’ improv genius. “And Robin would be different every time.”
As for what he was like behind the scenes, Brosnan, 65, dished, “There was Robin in the makeup trailer; he had a white shirt on, big hairy arms, cargo pants, big hairy legs, but he had the head of Mrs. Doubtfire. It was so bizarre.” Doing a brief impression of his costar, Brosnan added, “Oh, hello, Pierce! Oh, you look so handsome! Oooh, give us a kiss!”
Lawrence, 38, for his part shared a sweet sentiment while remembering his onscreen dad. “Robin was … like a guiding force,” the Boy Meets World alum said. “Like, he would just, all of a sudden, out of the blue, look over to me like, ‘By the way, don’t do drugs! Really messed up my brain. I’m serious. Do not do them.’ I was like, ‘OK!’ That stuck with me.”
Jakub — who was just a teenager while filming the comedy — added, “One of the most powerful things for me about working with him is that he was very open and honest with me talking about his issues with addiction, depression, and that was so powerful to me at 14. I have struggled with anxiety my whole life.”
In the 1993 film, Williams portrayed a father who was desperate to spend more time with his kids following a divorce from his ex-wife, played by Sally Field. In an extreme measure, Williams’ character dressed as an elderly British women who was hired to nanny his children.
Williams died in August 2014 from asphyxia due to hanging.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
