Sally Field recently shared a heartfelt story about working with Robin Williams on Mrs. Doubtfire.
How Did Robin Williams Help Sally Field on Mrs. Doubtfire?
Vanity Fair asked 20 of Williams’ friends, co-stars, and collaborators to share a memorable story about the late comedian for the 10th anniversary of his death on August 11. While filming Mrs. Doubtfire, Field tragically lost her father to a stroke and recalled how Williams came to her aid.
“I never shared this story before,” Field told Vanity Fair. “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.’ I was, of course, beside myself.”
Instead of asking to leave the production, Field tried to power through. However, Williams could sense that something was off and approached his co-star. What happened next was an example of Williams’ incredible kindness and empathy.
“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?’ ‘Yes, why?’ ‘I don’t know, just thought [I’d ask] that.’ ‘No, I’m not, Robin. My father just passed.’ ‘Oh my God, we need to get you out here right now.’ And he made it happen—they shot around me the rest of the day. I could go back to my house, call my brother, and make arrangements.”
Field added, “It’s a side of Robin that people rarely knew: He was very sensitive and intuitive.”
Mrs. Doubtfire became the second highest-grossing film of 1993, pulling in $441.3 million worldwide on a $25 million budget.
(Source: Vanity Fair)
