Matthew Lawrence Explores Resurrecting Robin Williams' Voice Using AI

Matthew Lawrence, well-known for his role alongside Robin Williams in the 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire,” recently expressed his intent to bring back the beloved voice of Williams using artificial intelligence, during a conversation with Entertainment Weekly at Comic-Con. The iconic actor tragically passed away in 2014 at the age of 63.

Expressing his thoughts, Lawrence said, “I would love to do something really special with his voice. I know it's iconic for a whole generation. It’s not just that I knew him and worked with him-it’s in everybody’s head. It would be so cool.” This idea ignited within him after encountering an old TV commercial featuring a voiceover by Williams.

Recollecting his past, Lawrence quoted, “He did this computerized voiceover in a commercial that always stuck with me. After his passing, with the advent of AI, I thought, ‘He should be the voice of AI or something.’ So yeah, I would love to do that.”

Lawrence perceived the endless possibilities of utilizing AI to restore Williams’ voice, including amusing concepts like driving directions ordered by Williams.

“Mrs. Doubtfire” bagged over $440 million worldwide at the box office, prominently one of Williams’ biggest comedic hits. In reflection, Lawrence shared that Williams had guided him away from drug addiction. Remembered Williams’ fight with substance abuse, Lawrence attributed his drug-free life in Hollywood to that important talk with his co-star.

During their time together, Lawrence acknowledged, “He was the first adult who really shared about his condition with me. As lively as he was on camera, off-camera in his trailer, he experienced a lot of pain as he faced drug addiction. And he didn’t try to hide it from me.”

Remembering a significant conversation with Williams, Lawrence quoted Williams saying, “Don't ever do drugs. Especially cocaine."

In fact, it was Williams, who had inadvertently contributed to Lawrence securing the role in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” During the audition, Williams played a prank on Lawrence leading the studio’s preference to shift towards Lawrence. "I got the role because of that little moment over the other boy. It was all because of Robin Williams", Lawrence shared.