If you watched this week's Broad City, you may have noticed that it included an extended tribute to one of the best scenes in the 1993 classic, Mrs. Doubtfire. You may not have noticed that it also featured one of the people that starred in that movie.
Mara Wilson — who was little Natalie Hillard in the movie — played a waitress at the restaurant where Abbi tries to juggle a date with Trey and Ilana's parents' anniversary celebration, without each party knowing the other is there. You know, just like how Robin Williams has to alternate between a meeting as Daniel, and his ex-wife's birthday dinner as Mrs. Doubtfire. Wilson, who was also Matilda in Matilda, has acted sparingly in recent years. So, how did that amazing cameo end up happening? Well, Wilson herself suggested it.
In an interview with Brokelyn, Wilson explained that, after she followed Jacobson on Twitter, the Broad City star told her they were working on an "homage" to the movie. "I felt emboldened a few days later, I think it was after a glass of wine, and I said, 'You know, if you want me to make a cameo or something on this, I totally would. I don’t act much, I don’t really like film or TV acting, but this would be really fun and I have a lot of respect for you two,'" Wilson said. "They were like, 'Totally, we’d love to have you on.' They were both really excited. Ilana sent me a 'Yes, yes kween!' email." (Getting a "yes kween" email from Ilana is the dream, right?)
Wilson also spoke about how Williams' death made her re-examine her approach to her childhood career. "I think that Robin dying was another thing that made me realize that I’d been pushing myself away from my past and not embracing it," she said. She added: "I still get shy about it when people ask me, but I think that it’s something I realize I do have such fond memories of. It didn’t feel heart-wrenching or difficult to be there. It was a pleasant experience, and a nostalgic one."
Wilson now does storytelling and writes plays.
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