It’s been over three decades since Mrs. Doubtfire came out and melted hearts with both its physical comedy and emotional moments. But for the late Robin Williams, who played the lead role alongside Sally Field, things grew a bit frustrating. The reason? Field didn’t find him funny, hurting his long-standing reputation of making co-stars laugh. Here’s what Field recalled from the sets of the 1993 movie.
Field gets honest about Williams’ unfunny antics during work
During her recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Field admitted that she found the Good Will Hunting actor unfunny while shooting the Chris Columbus movie.“Because I would never laugh, ever, and everybody else was laughing and carrying on,” the actress recalled via Variety. Given his natural talent for cracking his scene partners up, Williams didn’t take it well.
According to Field, her plain response drove him “mad,” but she couldn’t help it because the things he said or did “wasn’t funny.” “Robin was always trying something different to make me laugh. It was so unfunny,” she added. “I can’t begin to tell you. And then Pierce, wonderful Pierce Brosnan, we were sitting at a table at the restaurant, and he made a fart noise on his arm. And I was gone. That was it.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Doubtfire follows the story of Daniel Hillard (Williams), a struggling actor who has recently gotten divorced. After losing custody of her kids to ex-wife Miranda Hilliard (Field), she cooks up a plan to disguise herself as a British nanny to spend quality time with the little ones. The movie also stars Pierce Brosnan as Stu, a budding love interest of Miranda.
Made with a budget of only $25 million, the movie took the box office by storm with its massive $441.3 million gross collection. Williams’ performance was hailed as one of his finest despite the mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 71% rating, and its critical reception read, “Mrs. Doubtfire might seem excessively broad or sentimental, but Robin Williams shines so brightly in the title role that the end result is difficult to resist.”
Some other popular works of the late actor include Popeye, The Fisher King, Hook, Jumanji, The Birdcage, Dead Poets Society, and Aladdin. Williams’ role in Good Will Hunting earned him an Oscar for best supporting actor in 1998. Keep reading Movified for everything from nostalgic tidbits to fresh updates on your favorite celebrities, movies, and TV shows.
