Almost 30 years after the release of Mrs Doubtfireactor Pierce Brosnan reflects on what it was like to work on the classic comedy and its protagonist, the late comedy legend Robin Williams. In the film, Williams plays a divorced man who pretends to be an elderly nanny to secretly spend more time with his children. Sally Field stars as Williams’ wife, while Brosnan plays her new boyfriend after the divorce. Mrs. Doubtfire throws fruit at Brosnan in one memorable scene and literally ends up saving his life in another.
Sadly, Williams died in 2014 during pre-production at a scheduled time Mrs Doubtfire continuation. Williams’ death prevented Brosnan from reuniting with him for the sequel, but in a new interview with GQ, Brosnan looks back at what it was like meeting the late actor for the first time. This should come as no surprise, but the first meeting was very memorable, as Williams slid into his Mrs. Tired of Doubtfire makeup. And seeing Brosnan, Williams didn’t hesitate to jump into character to entertain his new opponent. As explained by Brosnan, via ScreenRant:
“I was so excited to work with him and Sally Field. I remember going to San Francisco the first day. I went to the makeup trailer and Robin was there. He had a Hawaiian shirt on, big hairy arms and load of pants, hairy legs, but he had Mrs. Doubtfire’s head. [Chuckles, imitates Williams] “Oh, hello, Pierce. Ooh, you’re very pretty, ooh, give us a kiss! Oooh!’ [Deepens voice] ‘Hello there, friend. Nice to see you, glad you came.’ [As himself] “Hello Robin, how is your husband?” [As Williams] “Oh, I’m fine, man. Been here for hours.'”
Brosnan then clarified that Williams practically had character during production, so it wasn’t until filming was completed that he really got to know the real Robin.
“I would go to work, and I would work on that film every day, and I would always work with, you know, Mrs. Doubtfire. It wasn’t until the end of the film that I met Robin.”
Miss Doubtfire cast misses Robin Williams
In March, some cast members of Mrs Doubtfire was also reflected in the film for a performance on Good morning America. Lisa Jakub, who plays Williams’ teenage daughter in the film, recalled how Williams was always nice on set and would help the child actors remember their lines. Jakub also recalls how Williams was open about his mental health issues.
“He was very open about his mental wellbeing issues,” she said. “He taught me it was okay to be vulnerable. What was most meaningful to me was to see that human under the comedic act.”
Mara Wilson, who was just six years old when she played Williams’ youngest daughter in Mrs Doubtfireadded: “I have so many moments where he was nice and looked me in the eye and talked to me very gently. He was a very gentle and quiet, introverted person underneath. He was also often stupid, like he was barking his carpet bag like a dog and making little hand puppets that would talk to you and joke with you.”