Pierce Brosnan has recalled his time shooting with the late Robin Williams on the set of Mrs Doubtfire.
Brosnan revealed that Williams improvised one of the most iconic lines in the movie.
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Now, Robin Williams is known for being the greatest comedian of all time.
He’s played several starring roles and inspired the lives of many with his energetic and upbeat personality.
The actor and comedian was best known for his quick wit and immaculate improvisational skills.
And throughout his career on stage and on the big screen, he displayed just how versatile he was as a performer.
Williams began his career in the ’70s, performing as a stand-up comedian in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
After gaining traction and experience, he got his first big break playing Mork the alien in Mork & Mindy from 1978 to 1982.
This catapulted Williams into the spotlight, and his fan base began to grow, with him getting his first ever leading role in Popeye in 1980.
That was only the beginning for the star, and Williams went on to appear in several critically acclaimed movies.
Most famously…
Good Morning, Vietnam, in 1987.
1989’s Dead Poets Society.
Already, there are 2 classics that people demand be on everybody’s watch list.
He was also the unofficial king of family movies.
Mrs Doubtfire and Jumanji stand out as huge favorites for fans.
His skill on screen was recognized when he was nominated for 4 Academy Awards for Good Will Hunting, for which he won Best Supporting Actor.
And his accolades don’t stop there, he also received 2 Primetime Emmy Awards, 6 Golden Globe Awards, 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and 5 Grammy Awards.
But the road to the top wasn’t easy for Williams.
Sadly, we only found out about his mental health battles after his tragic death.
He often put on a smile, although we know now that he was masking a lot of pain in his later years.
Something which only his close family knew about.
Williams married his first wife, Valerie Velardi, in June 1978.
The pair met in 1976 while Williams was working as a bartender in San Francisco. They later welcomed a son, Zachary Pym “Zak” Williams, in 1983.
Sadly, Velardi and Williams divorced just 5 years later.
He then began dating Marsha Garces in 1986, and just 3 years later, they tied the knot. Not long after, Garces gave birth to their first child, Zelda Rae Williams, followed by their son, Cody Alan Williams, born in 1991.
However, things didn’t work out for Williams and Garces, as in 2008 they filed for divorce.
A year after their divorce was finalized Williams went on to marry his third wife, Susan Schneider in 2011.
Although his relationships have been rocky, one thing Williams prided himself on was being a good dad.
Speaking about his children, he once said: “My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings.”
It’s clear he has always been a positive role model to his children…
Who have ensured they carry on his amazing legacy after his tragic death.
Williams’ children, Zak and Zelda, recently attended a mental health event to present an award in their dad’s memory. The event was organized by Glenn Close and the Bring Change to Mind board of directors, PEOPLE reports.
Back in 2010, Close co-founded the national organization to help end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness.
The event was hosted by Robin Roberts and managed to raise a staggering $1 million in total, ET Canada reports.
Zak and Zelda, who were also joined at the event by Zaks wife, Olivia June, took to the stage to present the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award.
The Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award was presented to Schitt’s Creek stars, Dan Levy and Eugene Levy.
The outlet reports that the honor “recognizes and thanks entertainers who spread laughter and awareness through acts of kindness, charity and revelatory honesty that makes people feel heard, seen and less alone, and through many ways, make the world a brighter, more open and caring place.”
Sharing the news on Instagram, Close wrote: “THRILLED to be celebrating EUGENE & DAN LEVY with the ROBIN WILLIAMS LEGACY OF LAUGHTER Award and CHASE STOKES with our BC2M CHAMPION OF CHANGE Award.”
“So many of us are experiencing stress, anxiety and depression. Let’s decide to TALK to LISTEN and to LAUGH!!”
Congratulations, Dan and Eugene Levy!
After Williams’ tragic death, a lot of people speculated that it was depression that killed the late actor.
However, that didn’t seem to be the main reason for his death.
During an interview with Good Morning America, his wife, Susan Schneider opened up about the real reason: “It was not depression that killed Robin. Depression was one of, let’s call it, fifty symptoms, and it was a small one.”
Implying that Williams had a lot going on in his life which could’ve been a trigger point for him to commit suicide.
During the interview, she broke the news that Williams, in fact, had Lewie Body Dementia.
However, the disease was only confirmed during an autopsy.
He was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which, alongside Dementia, made it harder for Williams to cope.
“He was keeping it together as best as he could,” said Schneider, “But the last month, he could not. It was like the dam broke.”
This week marks the 8-year anniversary of his death.
And to mark the devastating anniversary, two of Williams’ children posted tributes to their late dad online.
His son Zak wrote a heartbreaking post on Twitter.
“Dad, on the eighth anniversary of your passing, I’m remembering how incredibly kind and joyful you were,” he wrote. “I deeply miss you you wonderful, hairy man, and will be celebrating your life today. Love you so so much!”
His daughter Zelda also wrote a tribute to Williams and shared a series of suicide prevention helplines.
“I don’t ask for much, but if I may, be gentle to your hearts today. I know I’m trying.” she wrote.
Hundreds have since responded in the comment section to share their thoughts with them both…
But as a way of remembering Williams for who he was, his Jumanji co-star has spoken out about his time on set with the star.
Jumanji was a classic, featuring the likes of Bonnie Hunt and Jonathan Hyde.
But it also starred Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, who were just getting their footing in the entertainment industry at the time.
Pierce opened up about the experience in an interview with CBCListen, explaining how when things got too much for him and Dunst, Williams advocated for them both.
He explained that at one point during filming, producers asked Pierce and Dunst’s parents if they could work overtime to get the filming done quicker.
“Children can only be on set for a number of hours… the producers had approached our parents and said, ‘Is there any way we can do a bit of overtime to get it done?'” he said.
“That’s not uncommon at all in the industry because it literally saves $100,000 [£73,000] plus to do that extra half hour rather than a whole day.”
However, Pierce said that as soon as Williams heard about the conversation, he immediately told director Joe Johnston they wouldn’t be working overtime.
“For all the dollars that would have cost, nobody would have stood up the way he did,” Pierce said.
Adding: “In addition to being warm, generous, and kind, he was also very protective.”
Since then, many celebrities have recalled their experiences working with the late actor, including Pierce Brosnan who recently opened up about it…
In an interview with GQ, Brosnan spoke about shooting Mrs Doubtfire with Williams.
Brosnan recalled being excited about landing the role in the movie because he was a single father and needed a job, but mostly because “he was a single father working with Williams.”
“Chris Columbus, the director, he created such a warm environment for us all to be free in and create in.
“Robin, of course, had full realm of creativity and spontaneity and humanity and passion for all of us as actors. His commitment to that role was phenomenal. He would be there from four o’clock in the morning,” Brosnan said.
“I remember going up to San Francisco the first day. I went into the makeup trailer, and Robin was in there with a Hawaiian shirt on, big hairy arms and cargo shorts with hairy legs, but he had the head of Mrs Doubtfire,” he continued.
Brosnan revealed that he only met Williams as himself near the end of shooting the movie.
“I went to work every day on that movie, and I was always working with Mrs Doubtfire. It wasn’t until the end of the movie that I met Robin,” Brosnan said.
According to reports, Brosnan said Williams was one of the great clowns, comedians, actors, and humanitarians who always “led with his heart and his soul,” and added he could not have been happier to be working with him and Sally Field.
The Irish actor even recalled that Williams “improvised” one of the lines in the movie in the scene where his character is hit by a lime on the back of his head by Mrs. Doubtfire.
Williams then attempted to shift the blame to Brosnan and claimed that it was a “run-by fruiting” committed by someone who ran away.
This is when Brosnan confessed that “run-by fruiting” was not actually in the script.
“I get the beers, I’m walking back and thinking, ‘This is going to take forever to hit me on the head.’ The first one missed. And the second one — is history,” he said.
What do you think?