It’s been a year since Robin Williams’ tragic death and we’re still finding new reasons to love him.
On Sunday, an old letter written by the late actor for his “Mrs. Doubtfire” co-star, Toronto-born Lisa Jakub resurfaced on Reddit. Posted by user ‘Shemp-Howard,’ the caption read: “This is a letter Robin Williams wrote to the school of his child co-star, after she was expelled for missing class to film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire.’”
In the letter, Williams urged the school to reconsider their decision. He praised Jakub for being a bright and talented young girl and stressed that she should be allowed to return to class so that she can “share [her] experiences and motivate her classmates to soar to their own higher achievements.” Not only that, but Williams wrote that he believed Jakub “should not be denied the social learning experiences that come with high school and being a teenager.”
Jakub was just 14 years old when she filmed the 1993 classic “Mrs. Doubtfire,” in which she played one of Williams’ character’s children. When the late actor died in August last year, the former Canadian child star wrote a tribute to him on her blog and recounted the story of how Williams stood up for her when she got expelled.
“When I was 14 years old, I went on location to film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ for five months, and my high school was not happy,” the 36-year-old explained. “My job meant an increased workload for teachers, and they were not equipped to handle a ‘non-traditional’ student. So, during filming, they kicked me out.”
“When I arrived at work the next day, Robin noticed that I was upset and asked me what was wrong,” she continued. “I explained what had happened, and the next day, he handed me a letter that he wrote to my school… When I told him I still didn’t think they would take me back, he said, ‘It’s kinda like Amnesty International. That school just needs to know that people know the truth.’”
Unfortunately, in the end, the school did not allow Jakub to return to class. However, they did frame Williams’ letter. Despite this, Jakub wrote that the whole experience was life changing.
“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 wrote. “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.”
This heartwarming gesture by Williams is just another reason why the late actor was so loved and admired. In response to the Reddit post, users praised Williams for being such a wonderful person. “Robin Williams will go down as one of my favourite humans. And I didn't even know him,” one said.
Another simply wrote: “Robin Williams was a class act.”
Honestly, we couldn’t agree more.
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