Sally Field Says She Didn’t Find Robin Williams Very Funny When They Made “Mrs. Doubtfire”
Sally Field Says She Didn’t Find Robin Williams Very Funny When They Made “Mrs. Doubtfire”
Virginia ChamleeThu, May 7, 2026 at 5:51 PM UTC
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Sally Field in October 2018; and Robin Williams in November 2011
Credit: George Pimentel/Getty; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
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Sally Field revealed she never laughed at Robin Williams while filming Mrs. Doubtfire
Field said in a new interview that Williams’ constant attempts to crack her up “drove him mad”
It was another cast member, however, who ultimately made her break
Sally Field is sharing a surprising behind-the-scenes confession about filming Mrs. Doubtfire with Robin Williams.
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colberton Wednesday, May 6, Field, 79, revealed that while nearly everyone around her was laughing at Williams’ nonstop antics while on set of the 1993 film, she remained completely stone-faced — much to the late comedian’s frustration.
“Because I would never laugh, ever,” Field told Colbert. “And everybody else was laughing and carrying on.”
Sally Field and Robin Williams in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'
Credit: 20th Century Fox/Blue Wolf/Kobal/Shutterstock
According to the Oscar-winning actress, her refusal to break character during scenes eventually became something of a challenge for Williams, who was known for improvising constantly and trying to make his costars crack.
“It drove him mad, actually,” she recalled of Williams not being able to get her to laugh. She added, “It wasn't funny. It just wasn't funny.”
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Mrs. Doubtfire became one of the late comedian’s most beloved films, telling the story of struggling actor and divorced father Daniel Hillard, who disguises himself as an elderly British nanny in order to spend more time with his children. Field played Miranda Hillard, Daniel’s ex-wife, while Pierce Brosnan portrayed her debonair new love interest, Stu.
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Speaking to Colbert, Field explained that while Williams' attempts to make her laugh behind the scenes simply didn’t land, other cast members did manage to get her to crack.
“Robin was always trying something different to make me laugh. It was so unfunny. I can't begin to tell you,” she said. “And then Pierce — wonderful Pierce Brosnan — we were sitting at a table at the restaurant, and he made a fart noise on his arm. And I was gone. That was it.”
Williams died by suicide at age 63 on Aug. 11, 2014, at his Paradise Cay mansion in San Francisco after struggling with an undiagnosed case of the debilitating brain disorder Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
