Sally Field reveals Robin Williams changed ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ filming order so she could leave when her father died
Sally Field has revealed that Robin Williams changed the filming order of Mrs Doubtfire so she could leave filming after her father died.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Field revealed how he helped her so that she could leave set for a time to set up arrangements following her father’s death. While Field hadn’t planned to disrupt filming due to the personal matter, Williams knew something was wrong and took it upon himself to change the order of filming with director Christopher Columbus.
“I never shared this story before,” Field told the outlet. “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.’”
Field added: “I was of course beside myself. I came on the set trying with all my might to act. I wasn’t crying. Robin came over, pulled me out of the set, and asked, ‘Are you okay?’”
When Field told Williams what had happened, she recalled him saying: “Oh my God, we need to get you out [of] here right now.”
She continued: “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. It’s a side of Robin that people rarely knew: He was very sensitive and intuitive.”
Recently, Williams’ son paid an emotive tribute to his father on what would have been his 73rd birthday.
Zachary Pym Williams, son of the late actor, shared a post in Instagram marking the anniversary of his father’s birthday. Williams died by suicide at the age of 63 in 2014. He has two children, Zachary and Zelda.
“Dad, on what would be your 73rd birthday, I remember you for all the hope and joy you brought to the world,” Zachary wrote on Instagram on Sunday (July 21).
The post was accompanied by a black and white photo of the late actor smiling as he posed for the camera while sat in front of a couch.
The tribute added: “There’s not a week that goes by without someone sharing with me how you helped them through a dark time or a rough patch. I’m so grateful and proud to be your son. Love you forever.”
Williams starred in dozens of classic comedies and dramas including Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Jumanji and Good Morning, Vietnam.
After the actor’s death, it was revealed that he had unknowingly suffered a rare form of progressive dementia that impacts thought and reasoning, after being misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Since his passing, Williams’ wife, Susan Schneider Williams has been dedicated to educating people about her husband’s illness. A documentary released in 2021, Robin’s Wish, investigated the final months of the late legend’s life and also helped to raise awareness about his condition.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
