Sally Field revealed Robin Williams couldn’t make her laugh on the Mrs. Doubtfire set—until Pierce Brosnan did.
Robin Williams could turn almost any room into a comedy stage, but on the set of one of his most beloved films, there was a surprising exception: his co-star Sally Field.
Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Field revisited Williams’ reputation for “cracking people up on set.” Her response was blunt and revealing: “Everybody would laugh but me.” She said it frustrated him because, as she put it, she would simply never laugh during filming.
Field also pushed back on the idea that her composure came from professional restraint.. In her retelling. it wasn’t that she was trying to be hard to crack—it was that what Williams tried wasn’t working for her in that moment.. “It wasn’t funny.. It just wasn’t funny,” she told Colbert, underscoring how inconsistent the prank-or-joke chemistry could be, even with a comedy icon.
Still, Field explained that Williams didn’t just rely on one approach.. During the 1993 hit Mrs.. Doubtfire, he would keep trying different ways to get a reaction from her.. She described it as a continuous effort to amuse her—one she said she couldn’t match with laughter. even as he kept experimenting.
The story took an entertaining turn when Field shared that another cast member eventually succeeded where Williams couldn’t.. She pointed to Pierce Brosnan. calling him “wonderful Pierce Brosnan. ” and then described a very specific moment: while they were sitting at a restaurant table. Brosnan made a fart noise on his arm.
Field said she was instantly overwhelmed with laughter, so much so that the production needed to redo her makeup.. When Williams. apparently disappointed by her earlier lack of reaction. asked. “That’s all it took?” Field’s memory paints a picture of a comedian watching the punchline finally land—just not the way he expected.
While Field’s Mrs. Doubtfire set memory centered on what didn’t make her laugh, Matthew Lawrence offered a different lens entirely when he spoke about shooting one of the film’s most recognizable moments years later.
In a 2025 appearance on the Brother Love Podcast—hosted by Lawrence with his brothers. Joey and Andy—he recalled how much fun he had during the party scene.. Lawrence said the production asked him what he wanted at his party. and his answer came with playful specificity: “animals.” He then described putting together a list of music. saying they followed his ideas.
Lawrence also remembered Williams adding his own kind of momentum to the scene. He recalled that Williams suggested something spontaneous—“We’re gonna jump on this table”—and framed it like an on-the-spot decision designed to spark the moment with energy.
What followed, in Lawrence’s telling, was the kind of improv spirit that helped the film feel lively and lived-in. Lawrence said it wasn’t a carefully staged plan so much as an immediate, “Yeah, heck yeah” reaction—wanting to dance with Williams right then, as the party came alive around them.
Robin Williams Sally Field Mrs. Doubtfire The Late Show Pierce Brosnan Matthew Lawrence entertainment interviews