Mrs. Doubtfire’ director: Robin Williams’ improv filled 2 million feet of film, 4 cameras couldn’t keep up
Robin Williams’ Improv in “Mrs. Doubtfire” Resulted in 2 Million Feet of Film
During the filming of the 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Robin Williams showcased his incredible improvisational skills, leaving the production team with a staggering 2 million feet of film.
Director Chris Columbus recently spoke with Business Insider about the 30th anniversary of the movie. He fondly remembered working with the late Williams, praising his unmatched talent in bringing the titular character to life.
“Early on in the process, he went to me: ‘Hey boss, the way I like to work, if you’re up for it, is I’ll give you three or four scripted takes, and then let’s play,’ Columbus told the outlet.
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“By saying that, what he meant was he wanted to improvise. And that’s exactly how we shot every scene. We would have exactly what was scripted, and then Robin would go off and it was something to behold.”
The director expressed sympathy for the script director, Margaret de Jesus, who had to manually record all the improvised changes.
“Remember, this is the early 1990s, she wasn’t typing what he was saying. She was handwriting it and Robin would change every take,” Columbus continued.
“So Robin would go to a place where he couldn’t remember much of what he said. We would go to the script supervisor and ask her and sometimes she didn’t even get it all. Often, he would literally give us a completely different take than what we did doing the written takes.”
He added, “If it were today, we would never end. But back then, we were shooting film so once we were out of film in the camera, we would say to Robin: ‘We’re out of film.’ That happened on several occasions.”
“It got to the point that I had to shoot the entire movie with four cameras to keep up with him. None of us knew what he was going to say when he got going and so I wanted a camera on the other actors to get their reactions,” Columbus said.
The film also starred Sally Field as Williams’ ex-wife and Pierce Brosnan as her new love interest. The director said it was “quite difficult for them not to break character” when Williams was in full improv mode.
Based on the 1987 Anne Fine novel “Madame Doubtfire,” the movie follows a divorced man (Williams) who disguises himself as a British nanny to stay close to his three kids. Released during the peak of Williams’ popularity in the mid-90s, it became a box office hit, grossing over $440 million worldwide and remains beloved to this day.
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Columbus hinted at the possibility of a future documentary about the film.
“There are roughly 972 boxes of footage from Doubtfire – footage we used in the movie, outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage – in a warehouse somewhere and we would like to hire an editor to go in and look at all of that footage,” he told BI.
“We want to show Robin’s process. There is something special and magical about how he went about his work and I think it would be fun to delve into it.”
Williams tragically died by suicide in 2014 after battling mental health issues. He was 63 years old.
What challenges did the production team face when sifting through the 2 million feet of film?
T of film, we have to move on.’”
The result of Williams’ improvisation was a staggering 2 million feet of film. This means that for every scripted take, there were countless additional takes with improvised lines and moments. The production team had to sift through the mountain of footage to piece together the final cut of the film.
Despite the challenges of sorting through the vast amount of footage, Columbus emphasized that the improvisation was crucial to the success of “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
“It was anarchy, and yet it brought the character to life in a way that I don’t think any other actor could have done,” the director said. “It’s one of those things where you can’t imagine anyone else in that role. It was a character that every actor in Hollywood wanted to play and only Robin could bring it to life.”
The improvisation also allowed Williams to showcase his comedic genius and rapid-fire delivery. His spontaneous moments on set not only provided laughter for the cast and crew, but also added an extra layer of authenticity to the character of Mrs. Doubtfire.
After three decades, “Mrs. Doubtfire” still remains a beloved comedy, thanks in large part to Robin Williams’ improv skills. His ability to bring spontaneity and unexpected humor to every scene is a testament to his talent and the lasting impact he had on the film industry.
Robin Williams may be gone, but his incredible legacy lives on in the countless films and performances he left behind. And in the case of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” his improvisation resulted in 2 million feet of film that will forever capture his brilliance and bring joy to audiences around the world.
So, the next time you watch “Mrs. Doubtfire,” take a moment to appreciate the incredible improvisation skills of Robin Williams and the dedication of the production team who had the challenging task of capturing his genius on film.
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