Mrs. Doubtfire Star Shares The Advice She Got From Robin Williams
Robin Williams tragically died in August 2014, but his iconic performances still live in fans' hearts. He was an internationally beloved movie star with starring roles in "Happy Feet," "Old Dogs," and more, but Williams was perhaps best known for his role as Daniel Hillard in "Mrs. Doubtfire." In the famous film, he disguised himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children after his ex-wife, played by Sally Field, was awarded custody. "Mrs. Doubtfire" was a box office success in 1993, according to Entertainment Weekly, spending 11 weeks on top of the box office and cemented Williams as one of the comedy greats.
Williams' impact on the film industry could be felt amongst those who knew and worked with him, even through times of personal turmoil. Lisa Jakub, who played Williams' eldest daughter in "Mrs. Doubtfire," opened up to Yahoo! Entertainment about how the late star helped her through her struggles with anxiety and depression. Find out what advice Williams gave her below.
Robin Williams was 'honest' about his own struggles when helping his co-star
Although Robin Williams' death came as a shock to many in 2014, it was revealed that he had been struggling with depression and dementia for several years, according to The Guardian. Williams kept his battle with mental health issues out of the public eye, but he did use his personal experience to his co-star Lisa Jakub in "Mrs. Doubtfire," to get through her own struggles.
"Robin was everything that you would hope he would be, and he was very open and honest with me about his issues with anxiety and depression," Jakub told Yahoo! Entertainment on May 28. "I was able to share with him that anxiety was something that I struggled with, and he would talk to me about mental health issues in a way that 14-year-olds aren't usually used to adults being really open about those sorts of personal experiences with them."
Jakub also said that Williams warned her about the dangers of addiction and substance abuse. "He was very insistent in making sure that I knew that substances were not going to help," she added. Jakub thought that the advice she was given by Williams was "a really good message to hear, because that does tend to be a well-worn path for a lot of kid actors."
Jakub is now "paying forward" Williams' advice by teaching mental health workshops to help others dealing with mental health issues on how to cope after quitting acting in 2000.