‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ star shares her beautiful memories of working with Robin Williams
Mrs. Doubtfire is a movie I keep coming back to again and again. As a kid, it taught me about perseverance. And unconditional love. And conditional love. And why even though it’s extremely hilarious and sweet, maybe it’s not the best idea to disguise yourself as a Scottish nanny so you can spend more time with your kids (and later sabotage your wife’s new relationship, but hey). Mrs. Doubtfire also introduced me to Robin Williams, a man, an actor who reminded me so much of my own father. He seemed genuinely kind, and loving. He was funny, and he wasn’t afraid to be goofy. When I learned of his suicide this last summer, I (along with millions of people), was devastated.
That sadness has never fully healed, but stories about the actor keep resurfacing, reminding all of us about what an amazing human being he really was. Yesterday, Mrs. Doubtfire’s Lisa Jakub opened up about her own fond memories of her beloved co-star. Jakub, who played Daniel Hillard’s eldest daughter Lydia, was only 14 when she worked closely with the legendary comedian, but he left a lasting impression on her life for years to come.
“I’m just about at the place where I don’t cry every time I talk about him,” Jakub, now 36 and a soon-to-be author, told Today.com.
She recalled the wisdom he imparted, just by proximity. “A lot of people asked if it was exhausting to be around him, because he’s ‘on’ all the time, and that was not true at all. He was a little shy. As a massive introvert, I found that so reassuring, that it was OK to be a little quiet and just listen sometimes,” she said.
She explained that Williams was an incredible person, someone who helped her on her journey in acting — and was very open about his addictions and struggle with depression.
“I remember thinking that was so impressive, that he was so honest and he was making himself so vulnerable and that was so brave to me. He was able to talk to us about these things in an attempt to save us from making the same mistakes,” Jakub told Today.com.
Not only did he mentor Lisa, but he helped her out when she was in a not-so-great place herself. When she was younger, she got expelled from school for too many absences, due to her acting career. According to E Online, “the actor wrote a letter asking the high school principal to reconsider.” This tremendous level of kindness and compassion gives us very real chills.
Even though she did end up getting expelled, Jakub was still grateful her co-worker tried so diligently to help her out. “Robin had my back and that will always be precious to me,” she said.
And his memory will always, always be precious to us.
