‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Child Star Matthew Lawrence Recalls Warning Robin Williams Gave Him: ‘I’ll Never Forget It’

Robin Williams’ words of wisdom live on in his former Mrs. Doubtfire co-star Matthew Lawrence.

Lawrence, 45, was just 13 when the iconic comedy was released, and said the “six to eight months” of his formative years spent with the late actor will stay with him forever.

Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly that Williams took an “investment” in him as he played his on-screen father, and imparted upon him some advice drawn from his own struggles with substance abuse over the years.

“He really explained his life to me and really brought me in and taught me not just about in front of the camera, but a lot about the behind the camera as well, and how he felt that substances really further pushed his brain to not function properly,” Lawrence recalled. “And he really opened up with me, and I’ll never forget it. There were times he would just grab me and he’d be like, ‘Don’t put that stuff in your body. If I could go back and tell myself, this is why I’m telling you, don’t put that stuff in your body.”

Lawrence did stay away from “that stuff” while growing up in the spotlight, and he credits Williams with being a driving force behind that decision.

Williams, who died by suicide in 2014 at 63, also taught Lawrence about the “type of compassion you need to have for people” and how you “don’t judge until you walk in someone else’s shoes.”

“He really quantified what it was to be a real artist for me in the sense that he was definitely, and I worked with some great people, and he was definitely the most brilliant artist I’ve ever worked with,” the Boy Meets World alum shared. “But on top of that, he had the compassion, he had the humility, and he also had these things that he struggled with.”

He continued, “Man, it’s a real shame that he’s not with us. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t hear his voice,” adding, “I even wish, now with artificial intelligence, I kind of want to go to his family and be like, would you guys allow me to use his voice for some sort of creative expression? Because I hear it every day, in my head.”