It’s difficult to understate just how losing Robin Williams affected the world. Millions of fans were heartbroken by his passing, but even more than that, it seems that nearly every life Williams touched directly was left better for it, including his many co-stars, like Kirsten Dunst.
A young Dunst co-starred alongside Robin Williams in the original Jumanji, and in a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show (via EW), she reflected on the time she spent with Robin Williams, at first admitting that it was difficult for her to think of the actor because of the way his death upsets her. She said simply:
It makes me so sad thinking about him.
In the original Jumanji, a character played by Robin Williams is trapped in the titular game until he is released by two children who come across the board game years later. Dunst played one of the siblings who released the now grown Robin Williams.
However, while thinking about Robin Williams might initially make Kirsten Dunst sad, she also said that watching him on the set of Jumanji had a particular impact on her as an actress. His generosity extended to giving her a valuable gift, but she says it was the way he treated everybody that she took as a significant lesson on how to behave on set. Dunst explained:
He was just like… He left such an impression on me with his grace and the way he treated everyone. And then, on top of it, he gave me my first computer? And he just was so generous with his spirit and everything. Again, what a lesson for me to learn at such a young age how to treat a crew. I mean, just a very respectful, beautiful human.
Celebrities are used to being the most important people in any room they’re in, so how they treat those who are seen as less important is frequently judged. Kirsten Dunst said the way Williams treated the crew on Jumanji is how she learned that doing that was important.
Dunst’s comments about Robin Williams echo those of basically everybody else who ever worked with him. The actors, who were children when they filmed Mrs. Doubtfire with Williams, have also talked about how nice he was to them, and how they learned a great deal from him. The same praise goes for the adults who have all praised Williams for both his professionalism as well as his humor. Though sometimes that humor apparently got to the point that it wasn’t suitable for children. The set of a Robin Williams movie was never a dull place.
Kirsten Dunst clearly hasn’t forgotten her time working with Robin Williams on Jumanji. The franchise itself remembered Robin Williams, referring to the character Williams played in the reboot movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. A third movie in the reboot series, and fourth overall, was recently confirmed.