According to director Chris Columbus, Robin Williams’ spontaneous and endless improvisation during the successful comedy Mrs Doubtfire resulted in the production team filming an enormous amount of footage, approximately two million feet.
Columbus gave an interview to Business Insider in honor of the 30th anniversary of the film’s initial release in 1993. He mentioned that there are over 900 boxes of footage stored away that could potentially be used for a documentary on Williams’s creative process. This includes unused footage, behind-the-scenes shots, and more. Columbus expressed interest in hiring an editor to sift through all the footage and explore Williams’s unique approach to his work.
A comedy about a divorced man who disguises himself as an elderly nanny to reconnect with his children, Mrs Doubtfire was directed by Columbus and starred Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan alongside Williams. It was adapted from Anne Fine’s novel Madame Doubtfire, and became the second highest box office hit in 1993.
During the interview, Columbus shared that the production strategies were adapted to fit William’s unique strengths. “At the beginning of the project, he approached me and said, ‘Boss, I prefer to work by giving you three or four scripted takes and then improvising.'”
What he intended was to spontaneously create. That is how we filmed every scene. We followed the script, and then Robin would add his own unique touch, which was truly impressive.
I had to use four cameras to film the entire movie because he was so unpredictable. We were never sure what he would say, so I made sure to have a camera on the other actors to capture their reactions.
Shortly before his death in 2014, Williams and Columbus had a discussion about the possibility of a sequel to “Mrs. Doubtfire.” While Williams seemed open to the idea, he was not enthusiastic about the extensive use of makeup and prosthetics. Columbus had a strong script for the sequel and discussed it with Williams at his home, but Williams expressed concern about the physical demands of being in the Doubtfire costume.
“I believe he wanted us to reduce the presence of the Doubtfire character in the rewrite. However, with Robin’s passing, a sequel will no longer be possible.”
Source: theguardian.com
