Robin Williams had a bit of Mrs. Doubtfire in him even when the cameras weren’t on.
Lisa Jakub, who played one of Mrs. Doubtfire’s charges in the 1993 film, recalled a moment when the late comedian stuck up for her.
While playing Lydia Hillard on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire, the actress was still attending high school in Canada. That involved the school mailing he schoolwork back and forth.
“We were a couple months into filming, and my school in Canada sent a note saying, you know, ‘This isn’t working for us anymore. Don’t come back,’” Jakub said. “I was devastated. It was just so heartbreaking because, you know, I had this life that was very unusual and that was the one normal thing.”
Williams saw how it affected Jakub, and decided to take action.
“The thing was, Robin saw that I was upset. He asked me what was going on. I explained. He wrote a letter to my principal saying that he, you know, wanted them to rethink this decision and that I was just trying to pursue my education and my career at the same time, and could they please support me in this.”
It didn’t work.
“This principal got the letter, framed the letter, put it up in the office, and didn’t ask me to come back,” she said. “Amazing.”
