Mrs. Doubtfire star wishes to recreate Robin Williams’s iconic voice with AI

Mrs. Doubtfire star Matthew Lawrence reveals that he is interested in bringing his late co-star Robin Williams back to life, creatively, through his voice. He said,

“I would love — now, obviously, with the respect and with the okay from his family — but I would love to do something really special with his voice because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic.”

Lawrence made these comments during his conversation with Entertainment Weekly at Comic-Con. He was part of an EW panel to discuss a new graphic novel, The Lawrence Brothers Detective Agency, alongside his brothers, Joe and Andrew. Once the interviewer brought up the topic of the late comedian, Lawrence revealed why he would love to use William's voice.

“It’s not just the fact that I knew him and worked with him, and so it’s in my head — it’s in everybody’s head. And it would be so cool.”

Matthew Lawrence spoke about the possibilities of using Robin Williams's voice

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Matthew Lawrence further spoke about using Robin Williams's voice in a way that would resonate with his fans across generations.

“It’s kinda like this very contemporary, modern, almost sort of foreshadowing of what’s going on commercial that he did, where he did this computerized voiceover. And it always stuck with me. And then, during his passing, with the AI coming out, I’m like, ‘Man, he’s gotta be the voice of A.I. He’s gotta be the voice in something.’ So yeah, I would love to do that,” Lawrence said.

During this conversation, Lawrence probably referred to a 2014 Apple commercial, which reportedly used a voiceover of Robin Williams's iconic monologue from Dead Poets Society (1989). It's where Williams's character reads a Walt Whitman quote about the importance of self-expression in a person's life. The year when this ad came out, the star tragically died at the age of 63.

Over a decade later, Lawrence believes that Williams's comforting voice would be ideal to guide us through life, similar to Siri or Alexa. In line with this, he said.

“It would be Robin! It would be so cool. I’m telling you.”

The Mrs. Doubtfire star still fondly remembers Robin Williams

Robin Williams Accepts Hasty Pudding Award - Source: Getty

Mrs. Doubtfire, released in 1993, starred Matthew Lawrence as a 12-year-old kid opposite Robin Williams as his father. The film was a massive commercial success, which quickly earned its place in the minds and hearts of his fans. So, even years later, fans fondly remember. Lawrence is no exception to this.

In a 2022 interview with People magazine, he spoke about Robin Williams's influence on his life. He revealed how Williams told him to "stay away from dr*gs," among other things, that left a profound impact on him. The star said

"Robin had a massive influence on me. He, during filming, would talk to me a lot about his issues with mental health and addiction. And I have had a lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression. So we had those conversations."

He further added,

"I think it was so good for me to realize that it's okay to talk about this. It's okay to be vulnerable. And it was really the first time that I had someone sit down with me and go, 'I understand that you have anxiety and you are not alone. You're not just some weirdo freak who has something going on that nobody's going to understand, that everybody's going to reject you for.' Like, this is okay and there are things you can do, and you will be alright."

Fans can now watch Robin Williams's Mrs. Doubtfire on Disney+.