Mara Wilson Explains The Impact Mrs. Doubtfire Had On Her Life

“I remember I met this boy named Matt and this girl named Lisa and I immediately liked them,” Wilson recalls. “They felt like they could be my real brother and sister and I was secretly wishing and hoping that they would get the parts, too.” Mara of course nabbed the role in what would become one of the biggest hits of the ’90s, grossing over $400 million worldwide. And while many people have their favorite scenes from the movie, Mara also has one she remembers well.

“I remember when I had to say, ‘We’re his Goddamn kids, too,’ that Sally took me aside and rehearsed with me,” Wilson says. “She was so sweet — she was making sure I would say it more fiercely and more intensely, and then her saying, ‘Good, you scared me this time.’” Mara also recalls how much Robin tried to make sure she had the best time on set, even making up a rap about the life of an ant.

“He used chopsticks as antennae and at the end of the scene he used them again to get me to smile,” Mara explains. “They left that part in, but cut out his song and dance about it. He could really riff on anything.”

As Mara has gotten older, she has avoided the downfalls that come with dealing with being a former child star, adding that her costars, especially Lisa, text all the time and have helped her cope through some difficult times she’s dealt with. Mara also talks about happy memories with her costars.

“I do think that being a child actor was difficult in some ways, like it made me more of a perfectionist,” Mara adds. “There were a lot of people out there who were very cruel. But I had a lot of great opportunities that a lot of other people didn’t and I met a lot of wonderful people. You kind of have to come to peace with it all.”

And even with how popular Mrs. Doubtfire is, the first film people all think about when they hear Mara’s name is of course Matilda. The latter which gave me plenty of headaches as a kid because I so desperately wanted to move objects with my mind. Update: I still haven’t done so.

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