Danny Devito’s fatherly relationship with Matilda star Mara Wilson is a heartwarming story
Matilda was without a doubt one of the most popular films of the 1990s, with a cult following that continues to advocate for the film’s relevance even today. The film is based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, which was published in 1988. Matilda, the main character of the book, is a 5-year-old girl who also happens to be a child prodigy.
She was, however, born into a family that abuses her. Matilda begins to perform pranks on her family in protest to their mistreatment, and it is then that she realizes she has telekinetic abilities.
When it initially came out as a book, the story was an instant hit, and it wasn’t long before Hollywood swooped in and made it into a film. Danny DeVito directed the 1996 film adaption of Matilda, which was distributed by TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures.
Harry Wormwood, Matilda’s horrible father, was also played by DeVito. Rhea Perlman, who played DeVito’s on-screen wife, Zinnia Wormwood, who also served as the film’s main adversary, appeared with DeVito. While both DeVito and Perlman played villains in the film, their real-life treatment of Mara Wilson was anything but.
Matilda, the real-life Mara Wilson, was going through some tough times in 1996, just as the film was gaining popularity. Suzie Wilson, her mother, was diagnosed with breast cancer during that year, as was well publicized in a People Magazine piece. Even though Suzie’s prognosis wasn’t promising, she encouraged her daughter to keep working on Matilda.
While many feared that the responsibilities of working on a movie set would put too much strain on the family, it turned out that the opposite was true. Suzie and Mara found a safe place on the Matilda set to bond around something they were both passionate about. Aside from that, Danny DeVito went out of his way to make the mother and daughter feel as welcome and comfortable as possible on set. Because he was the film director, he had complete control over the production.
Mara recently went down for an interview with Entertainment Tonight to commemorate the film’s 25th anniversary. Mara stated in the interview that she had an instant connection with DeVito and that he always made her feel understood, despite the fact that she was much younger. She stated:
“I really did feel like he was my favorite uncle.”
This should not be surprising. When Mara’s mother was in the hospital, DeVito and his wife Perlman took care of her.
