Tinseltown Talks
Matilda Turns 25 Nick Thomas
When British author Despite the popularity Roald Dahl’s beloved of the spirited little 1988 novel Matilda actress in the additional was transformed into a ’90s hits Mrs. Doubtfire, fantasy comedy movie the remake of Miracle a decade later, the film on 34th Street, and A became hugely popular. Simple Wish, Wilson had It remains an enjoyable slipped from the public family movie to watch spotlight by the decade’s with children and end — an exile that was grandchildren today, 25 largely self-imposed. years after its release in “I grew out of that July 1996. cute stage and didn’t Photo courtesy of TriStar Pictures. Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. Filled with memorable develop into the classic Danny DeVito, Mara Wilson, and Rhea Mara Wilson with Robin Williams in Perlman in Matilda. Mrs. Doubtfire. characters — including Hollywood beauty as I a callous and dishonest got older,” Wilson, now family as well as a 34, explained. “I didn’t tyrannical school like being reduced to principal — Matilda, adjectives — you’re thin portrayed by adorable or short or tall or blonde child actor Mara Wilson, — and was no longer battles and eventually comfortable going to overcomes adversity. auditions.” It was one of four Wilson’s films in the ’90s that autobiography, Where made Wilson famous. Am I Now? True Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. Matilda, she says, was a Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson Stories of Girlhood and Photo courtesy of Ari Scott, from publicist. role she was thrilled to Accidental Fame, was in Miracle on 34th Street. Cover of Mara Wilson’s Mara Wilson, play. published in 2016. autobiography. all grown up. “It was my first “I still do some fun favorite book,” she told TV or web projects for me in a 2017 interview. “The film became a touchstone for girls who grew friends, and I love voiceover work because no one is judging how I look or how up feeling a little awkward and out of place and could relate to the Matilda many times a week I work out!” character. One actor she fondly remembers during her early career was Robin Williams “When I was little and people would recognize me at the airport, park, during the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire. She says Williams was “kind and gentle, or mall, I used to think, ‘Why do they care?’ But I’ve come to realize how but rather shy, which is not uncommon for actors.” important some films can be to people.” Not surprisingly, he was usually hilarious on the set and responded in typical Williams style when she told him of her fondness for musicals such as The Sound of Music and South Pacific. “So he started singing ‘Nothing Like a Dame,’ which was funny because Did you know? there he was, a man dressed like a woman singing there was nothing like being is available online for a woman!” anytime/anywhere reading! While her films from the ’90s were largely comedic or sentimental, Wilson remains proud that her Matilda character has helped kids overcome abuse. “They were living in abusive families or with parents who didn’t care about them, and the movie showed them there was a way out and that they could find people who cared. So it’s a comforting movie about feeling powerless, then finding power,” she said. “People write to me all the time about the impact it had on their lives, and I love that.”
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September 2021
50plus LIFE
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 magazines and newspapers.
www.50plusLifePA.com
