Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Mrs. Doubtfire

July 27, 2017 | Miles Brucker

Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Mrs. Doubtfire


Mrs. Doubtfire was the quintessential 90s-kid movie memory and still holds up as a classic to this day. Between the hilarious run-by-fruiting scene and Robin Williams’ non-stop silly antics playing an old woman, there’s no shortage of comedy in this heartfelt film. Here are 24 facts you might not know about Mrs. Doubtfire.


Mrs. Doubtfire Facts

1. Icing on the Cake

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Mrs. Doubtfire frantically smashes her face in a cake to disguise herself. The icing drips into Mrs. Sellner’s tea and she says, “There you go, you’ve got your cream and your sugar now.” This hilarious detail was actually completely unintentional. Because it was so hot on set, the icing dripped from Robin Williams’ chin and he just improvised from there.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

2. Oh Dear

Listen closely and you’ll hear Mrs. Doubtfire say the word “dear” a whopping 101 times throughout the film.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

3. Making Headlines

Extra, extra! The newspaper headline that Daniel Hillard used to pick his new identity was used in an episode of Charmed.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

4. Irish Stu

Mrs. Doubtfire almost blows her cover by trying to convince Stu she hails from England. He tells her he’s from London but in real life, Pierce Brosnan is actually Irish.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

5. Whose Line is it Anyway?

Originally in line to play the youngest child, Natalie, was none other than actress Blake Lively—who apparently bombed her audition. According to Lively, she had just seen a Robin Williams movie the night before her audition and so in an attempt to ease her nerves her mother told her that she would be reading with Robin’s twin brother, not Robin. When she met him, the producers referred to him as Robin and the jig was up. It was down to two potential options and ultimately Mara Wilson got the part.

 

Anna Sui 'Gossip Girl' Collection Debut At Target Pop-Up Store - OutsideGetty Images

6. Unhappily Ever After

The scriptwriter who split Daniel and Miranda up at the end of the movie was fired because the studio thought the couple should have stayed together. Another writer was brought on board to pen the reunion, but in the end the Hillards’ parting of ways sadly made the most sense. The first scriptwriter was rehired and they went with the original plan after all.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

7. Life Imitating Art

Those argument scenes between Miranda and Daniel may have hit a little too close to home. At the time of filming, Sally Field was actually going through a divorce herself with producer Alan Greisman. Nothing like a leading role in a movie to help you cope with a bitter breakup!

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

8. Nanny Diaries

Similar to Field’s real life experience, Williams later went through a divorce as well. While he played a nanny in the movie, he ended up leaving his wife for the nanny.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsFlickr, Underway In Ireland

9. A Star is Born

Mrs. Doubtfire marked Mara Wilson’s acting debut at the tender age of 6. The child actress went on to play several other roles including the leading role in Matilda before going on a 12 year acting hiatus.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

10. Deleted Scenes

The part where Daniel puts chopsticks behind his ears during a serious moment to make Natalie laugh was actually a reference to a cut scene. In her tribute to Robin Williams after his passing, Mara Wilson reminisces over the scene and says that Williams was supposed to go into a song but instead went off script and did his own thing to make the kids laugh.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

11. A Little Goes a Long Way

The movie was made with a budget of $25 million, but made some serious coin at the box office. It raked in nearly $440 million.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

12. Home Sweet Home

The home address you hear Miranda Hillard give Mrs. Doubtfire on the phone is the real address of the house used to film the movie: 2640 Steiner St.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsFlickr, zoxcleb

13. Comedy = Makeup + Time

Women aren’t kidding when they say that beauty is pain, and Mrs. Doubtfire got the whole package from head to toe. To achieve the full nanny-in-drag look, Williams spent 4 ½ hours in the makeup chair every day while filming the movie. Yikes.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

14. Playing Hooky

Lisa Jakub, who played eldest sibling Lydia, was kicked out of her Toronto school for taking a five months off to film the movie. You would think that shooting a big time Hollywood blockbuster would be a good enough excuse to get out of 12th grade Calculus for a bit, but apparently the school staff wasn’t quite as impressed. However, Robin Williams sent a personal letter to the school asking them to reconsider Lisa’s expulsion. They didn’t budge, but they framed the letter.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

15. Home Improvement

The roles of Daniel Hillard and Stu Dunmeyer were initially offered to actor Tim Allen, but he turned them down. It was probably for the best anyway—the following year Allen played Santa in The Santa Clause. Dressing up as an old man and an old woman back to back might have raised a few questions!

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsFlickr, Andrew McFarlane

16. “Line?”

One of the most famously hilarious scenes in the movie is when Mrs. Doubtfire’s dentures fall into her wineglass and she has to fish them out. She utters the phrase, “Carpe Dentum...seize the teeth.” This was a reference to Robin Williams’ line in Dead Poets Society in which he says, “Carpe Diem...seize the day” to his students. Williams was known for quoting lines from his other movies throughout filming.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

17. The OG Mrs. Doubtfire

Books turned to movies is a common Hollywood theme, and interestingly enough, Mrs. Doubtfire was no exception. Based on a British novel by Anne Fine, the concept of Mrs. Doubtfire was allegedly inspired by a jewelry shop owner the author knew who went by “Madame Doubtfire.”

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

 

18. Lip Latte

An endearing scene is the one where Sally Field sips her cappuccino and gets milk foam on her upper lip, then gets embarrassed in front of Stu. It turns out that was a real moment—the producers loved it so much that they decided to keep it.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

19. In Memoriam

After the passing of Robin Williams, fans visited the San Francisco home where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed and left flowers on the front stoop.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsGetty Images

20. Keeping up Appearances

Apparently, it was quite easy to walk around unrecognized while dressed in a wig, pantyhose, and a skirt. Robin Williams' own son did not recognize him in his Doubtfire drag until he started speaking.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

21. Yes, and….

Robin Williams was said to be a clown both on and off stage, and masterful with quick wit. That meant that making movies with him was always a circus. Multiple ratings of the film were included in the edits because of Williams’ tendency to improvise. Director Chris Columbus said that Williams went off script so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 edits, though it was released as PG-13. An R-rated Mrs. Doubtfire would certainly make for a very different movie

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsGetty Images

22. Behind the Mask

The scene where Daniel knocks down the prosthetic mask and it goes flying out into the street required over 50 takes.

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

23. Nanny Diaries

The character of Mrs. Doubtfire in the movie was influenced by Robin Williams’ real childhood nanny, “Lolly.” This started an official nanny-hunt with British tabloids on the search for her. They found her in a small town Michigan nursing home, with reporters and photographers tripping all over themselves to score an interview. Lolly wasn’t a huge fan of all the attention, but the local newspaper ran a story of Lolly with the headline "The Real Mrs. Doubtfire."

Mrs. Doubtfire FactsMrs. Doubtfire(1993),20th Century Fox

24. Testing the Goods

To make sure his costume was believable, Robin Williams popped into a sex shop dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire and actually tried to buy a dildo and scented lubricant. The store clerk eventually recognized Robin and kicked him out of the store, but he was able to purchase the lube before his departure.

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