Late comedian, Robin Williams, starred in kids classic film, Jumanji, with Bradley Pierce and Kirsten Dunst in 1995, 19 years before he tragically died by suicide
Robin Williams has been praised for standing up for his child co-stars, 12 years after his tragic death. The much-loved Mrs Doubtfire star, who tragically died by suicide aged 63, shone in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films, including kids classic, Jumanji.
The film, about a magical board game which transports kids into a perilous jungle world, sees Williams give a heartfelt performance as Alan Parrish, the man who has been trapped in the board game for 25 years.
It also stars Bradley Pierce, who in an interview told how Williams stepped up to defend him from what he says were over-demanding producers. Alongside Kirsten Dunst, Pierce played one of the kids in the 1995 family film. He recalled shooting a sequence on set, which saw the wide-eyed Shepherd children engulfed in a fierce monsoon.
The actor who was 13 at the time, was having trouble breathing in the scene due to the water and his extensive costume and makeup, which saw him transformed into a monkey.
He told CBCListen: “I couldn’t breathe through my nose” adding that the shoot, which lasted for eight days, “was really draining for everybody” and left him “tired”.
Alleging that the film’s producers attempted to get the child stars to work overtime, which is not legally permitted, to get the shoot over the line, he said: “Children can only be on set for a number of hours. The producers had approached our parents and said, ‘Is there any way we can do a bit of overtime to get it done?’
“That’s not uncommon at all in the industry because it literally saves $100,000 (£73,000) plus to do that extra half hour rather than a whole day.”
Seasoned star, Williams, however, “caught wind of these conversations” and “pulled the director [Joe Johnston] and producers aside” to tell them that wouldn’t be happening.
Pierce continued: “He said, ‘No, we are not doing any extra time. You’re going to let everybody out now and we’re going to come back next week.’”
He added: “For all the dollars that would have cost, nobody would have stood up the way he did. In addition to being warm, generous and kind, he was also very protective.”
Williams spent nearly his whole life making people laugh. A talented comedian and Academy Award-winning actor, he was highly respected among his peers and adored by legions of fans around the world.
However, despite his happy-go-lucky persona, he struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction early on in his career. And later on in his life, he would struggle with mental health issues before news of his tragic death was announced in 2014.
The Mirror has contacted Joe Johnston’s rep for comment.
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