‘Disturbing': Mrs Doubtfire star's wild plan to revive Robin Williams with AI despite daughter

News.com.au

3 days ago

It's been 32 years since Mrs Doubtfire graced our screens.
Now, the actor who played Chris Hillard wishes to resurrect his late co-star, the legendary Robin Williams, in a very 2025 way.
Matthew Lawrence wants Williams to be the trusty voice reading out the weather on our smart speakers. He told Entertainment Weekly that the actor should be the next 'voice of AI.'
'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.'
'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.'
The idea came to Lawrence after watching one of Williams' old commercials. The actor, who died by suicide in 2014 at age 63, had done a computerised voiceover that Lawrence found eerily ahead of its time.
'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 computerised voiceover,' he explains.
'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.'
There's no denying Williams' voice is instantly recognisable. Hearing it again would likely spark nostalgia and joy for many.
Still, using AI in a project like this raises serious concerns.
Lawrence, clearly enthusiastic, suggested plenty of possibilities for Robin's voice in tech — even using it for driving navigation.
'It would be Robin!' Lawrence happily stated. 'It would be so cool. I'm telling you.'
Yelling at Siri or Alexa when you miss a turn is normal these days. But yelling at the voice of Robin Williams might come with some follow-up guilt.
William's daughter, Zelda Williams, has publicly slammed AI recreations of her father.
During the SAG-AFTRA strike in October 2023, she posted a statement on social media expressing her discomfort with the technology.
'I am not an impartial voice in SAG's fight against AI,' Zelda, 35, wrote. 'I've witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad.'
'I've already heard AI used to get his 'voice' to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings,' she continued.
'Living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort and time into the pursuit of performance.'
Lawrence was just a pre-teen when he played Williams' son in 1993's Mrs. Doubtfire, and their relationship clearly made a lasting impression.
At the first annual '90s Con in 2022, Lawrence shared how Williams — who struggled with substance abuse — warned him about the dangers of drugs during filming.
'[Williams] was very serious. He was like, 'You know when you come to my trailer and you see me like that?'' Lawrence shared.
'He's like, 'That's the reason why. And now I'm fighting for the rest of my life because I spent 10 years doing something very stupid every day. Do not do it.' I stayed away from it because of him.'
In an earlier interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence reflected on two key lessons Williams taught him: the importance of compassion, and not judging others without walking in their shoes.
'He really quantified what it was to be a real artist for me in the sense that he was definitely,' Lawrence said, 'and I worked with some great people, and he was definitely the most brilliant artist I've ever worked with.'