'Mrs. Doubtfire' Star Lisa Jakub Says the Movie Changed Her Life in 'Wonderful' and 'Difficult' Ways

Lisa Jakub shared a heartwarming photo of herself and Robin Williams from Mrs. Doubtfire on Twitter

mrs doubtfire
Lisa Jakub, Robin Williams, Mara Wilson, and Matthew Lawrence. Photo: 20th Century Fox / courtesy Everett

Lisa Jakub is taking the time to remember the film that changed her life.

On Wednesday, the actress, who starred as Lydia, the oldest daughter of Robin Williams and Sally Field's characters in Mrs. Doubtfire, shared a sweet black and white photograph of herself and Williams from the set of the 1993 film on Twitter.

"28 years ago today Mrs. Doubtfire opened in theaters," Jakub, 42, tweeted. "Things changed for me that day-wonderful things and difficult things-but I'll always feel grateful for this movie that meant so much to so many people."

She added, "It set me on a path that brought me right here-that's pretty damn amazing."

In May, Jakub revealed Williams helped her through her depression in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment.

Jakub described a moment while filming Mrs. Doubtfire when the late actor stood up for her when her high school told her not to come back because they weren't equipped for her to do remote learning while on set. Williams wrote a letter vouching for her work ethic, asking them to reconsider.

Although Jakub was ultimately still kicked out of the school, she told the outlet that "it's just the fact that he would do that for someone, that he would go out of his way," noting that she doesn't know if Williams ever knew how much it meant to her.

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But what really stuck with Jakub was the way Williams helped her through her anxiety and depression, saying the advice he gave her "shifted" her life.

"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 said. "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."

She added that Williams also warned her about addiction and substance abuse, which he struggled with, a conversation she says was important to have as a child star. Ultimately after a few other roles, including a part in Independence Day, Jakub decided to step back from her acting career after it took a toll on her mental health.

Now, she's teaching workshops for mental wellness to help others cope with anxiety and depression. "I feel like that is one of the ways I'm kind of paying forward some of the things that Robin taught me by being so open," she said.

She's also published books You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up and Not Just Me: Anxiety, Depression, and Learning to Embrace Your Weird in addition to her mental health advocacy and yoga instructing.

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