Yahoo Lifestyle Robin Williams changed “Mrs. Doubtfire” filming order so Sally Field could mourn her father's death
"It's a side of Robin that people rarely knew," Field said of her late costar. "He was very sensitive and intuitive."
Ten years after Robin Williams' death, his costars and collaborators are still sharing stories about the positive effect he had on them. In a new oral history about Williams' life and work published by Vanity Fair, his Mrs. Doubtfire costar Sally Field remembered an act of kindness that he did for her on set.
Mrs. Doubtfire starred Field and Williams as a divorced couple, with the latter trying to win back his family by dressing in drag and posing as an elderly British housekeeper. Directed by Chris Columbus and released in 1993, Mrs. Doubtfire made more than $441 million at the box office on a $25 million budget, and it remains a beloved classic. But it wasn't all laughs during the making of the film, as Field's family was struck by tragedy.
"I never shared this story before," Field said. "I was in the camper outside of the courtroom where we were shooting the divorce scene. My father had a stroke a couple of years before, and was in a nursing facility. I got a phone call from the doctor saying my father had passed, a massive stroke. He asked if I wanted them to put him on the resuscitator. I said, 'No, he did not want that. Just let him go. And please lean down and say, Sally says goodbye.'"
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Sally Field and Robin Williams in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'Field recalled that she tried to stay professional in the face of the loss, but Williams immediately noticed something was amiss.
"I was of course beside myself. I came on the set trying with all my might to act," Field said. "I wasn't crying. Robin came over, pulled me out of the set, and asked, 'Are you okay?'"
When Field confessed that her father had just died, Williams reacted by saying, "Oh my God, we need to get you out of here right now."
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It helped that Williams was a producer on Mrs. Doubtfire in addition to being the star, so he was able to adjust the filming schedule on short notice. The production was then able to shoot around Field while she made funeral arrangements with her family.
"It's a side of Robin that people rarely knew," Field said. "He was very sensitive and intuitive."
Related: Robin Williams’ son posts sweet tribute to dad on the comedian’s birthday
Williams was more known for his rapid-fire improvisational skills. While filming Mrs. Doubtfire, he made a deal with Columbus to do a couple takes of the scenes as scripted, but then could riff to his heart's delight on additional takes. This has led to persistent rumors that there is a more vulgar, NC-17 cut of the film. Columbus denied that in a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, but did confirm there was an R-rated version in existence.
Read more tributes to Williams at Vanity Fair.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
