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Here’s the damning letter Robin Williams wrote to his Mrs Doubtfire co-star's principal after they expelled her

On the second anniversary of his death, we remember how Williams echoed the sentiments of Good Will Hunting's bench scene as he highlighted the importance of children going out and experiencing the world for themselves rather than just reading about it in textbooks

Christopher Hooton
Tuesday 12 August 2014 12:23 BST
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Robin Williams and Lisa Jakub in Mrs. Doubtfire
Robin Williams and Lisa Jakub in Mrs. Doubtfire

If there's one aspect to Robin Williams's personality that has come up time and time again in the floods of tributes that have poured in for him since his death, it is his bigheartedness.

Putting in calls to the Schindler's List cast and crew in character as the Genie from Aladdin and visiting sex shops dressed as Mrs Doubtfire, Williams was always trying to make people's day and cheer them up with his unique brand of humour.

Following his death, co-star Lisa Jakub (Lydia Hillard) has opened up about the time he was able to help her out, explaining in a blog post how Williams wrote to her principal after her school kicked her out just for taking a few months off to film Mrs Doubtfire and refused to have her back.

In the letter Lisa passed on to The Independent below, Williams scolds the school for its stance on the matter, evoking the world view of his character Sean in Good Will Hunting as he insists that "a student of her calibre and talent should be encouraged to go out in the world and learn through her work."

(Picture: Supplied/Lisa Jakub)

(Enlarged version of image here)

"She should also be encouraged to return to the classroom when she's done to share those experiences and motivate her classmates to soar to their own higher achievements," he adds.

Remembering Robin Williams

Williams' pleas were ultimately unsuccessful, with the school not taking her back (though the letter was framed and hung in the principal's office, annoyingly), but the kindness Williams showed Lisa had a profound effect on her.

"Even though I had not spoken with Robin in a very long time, I always assumed there would be some future opportunity to tell him that his letter changed my life," she lamented.

"It taught me that you stand up for the things that matter. And even if your attempts fail, you tried. You told the truth. You took care of your friends. You fought back."

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