Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mrs Doubtfire child stars reunite more than 30 years after Robin Williams blockbuster

Mara Wilson, Matthew Lawrence and Lisa Jakub portrayed the three Hillard children in the 1993 family comedy

Inga Parkel
Thursday 02 May 2024 18:02 BST
Comments
Deleted scene from Mrs. Doubtfire shows emotional moment between father and daughter

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The three child stars who featured alongside the late Robin Williams in the family comedy classic Mrs Doubtfire have reunited more than 30 years since the film’s release.

Mara Wilson, Matthew Lawrence and Lisa Jakub portrayed the three Hillard children, whose divorced father Daniel (Williams) poses as an older British nanny and tricks his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field) into hiring him to take care of the children in the 1993 movie.

Wilson, who portrayed the youngest Hillard child, Natalie, reunited with her co-stars Lawrence and Jakub, who played Chris and Lydia respectively, to speak on the Brotherly Love podcast, hosted by Lawrence’s real-life brothers Andrew and Joey.

Sharing a photo of the reunion on Instagram on Wednesday (1 May), Wilson wrote: “So funny that the same week I went to San Francisco, I got to reunite with my Doubtfire siblings! It’s always a joy to see @lisa.jakub and @matthewlawrence, and always so much fun to be on @officialbrotherlylovepod.”

The movie was set in San Francisco, with a majority of the filming locations taking place there, too.

Several fans responded to the “heartwarming” photo in the comments below, with with one eagerly writing: “This is so lovely!”

“My heart can’t take this,” a second said, while another added: “Love that you have all kept in touch.”

Wilson, now 36, was only six when she made her film debut in Mrs Doubtfire. She later went on star in several movies, including the 1996 fantasy comedy Matilda and A Simple Wish (1997). Following her role in the 2000 fantasy adventure movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Wilson retired from film acting.

Lawrence, now 44, was 14 when he starred in Mrs Doubtfire, while Jakub, now 45, was 15.

Lisa Jakub, Robin Williams, Mara Wilson and Matthew Lawrence in ‘Mrs Doubtfire’
Lisa Jakub, Robin Williams, Mara Wilson and Matthew Lawrence in ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ (Snap/Shutterstock)

When Mrs Doubtfire premiered in cinemas, it landed as the second-highest-grossing movie of the year, raking in $441m at the worldwide box office.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

In an interview with Business Insider last year, the movie’s director, Chris Columbus, revealed that the prospect of a sequel had shuttered following the tragic death of Williams, who died by suicide in 2014, aged 63.

“It’s an interesting thing. Back then, there was an attitude that sequels were looked down upon by the artists. So Robin was against doing a sequel immediately after,” Columbus said. “He and I didn’t talk about a sequel until the year he passed away.”

“We had a script that was written and it was the last time I saw Robin,” he added. “I went to his house and we sat down and talked about it and the script was really strong. Robin’s only comment was, ‘Boss, do I have to be in the suit as much this time?’ It was physically demanding. For Robin, I think it was like running a marathon every day he was in the Doubtfire costume. He was older, obviously. So we talked about it and I think he was hoping in the rewrite we would cut back on the Doubtfire character. But then Robin passed away so there will never be a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in