The sweet and innocent Mara Wilson made her debut in the 1993 box office hit Mrs. Doubtfire as Natalie “Nattie” Hillard. She also played the role of Susan Walke in the 1994 release of Miracle on 34th Street. And if you were a fan of Melrose Place, you may recognize her from a few episodes as Nikki, the young daughter of Katya Petrova.
13. Mara Wilson’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while Matilda was being filmed. Sadly, it was caught too late and she passed away six months into post-production. Mara dedicated the movie to her mother.
Mara recalls that being part of Matilda helped her through this difficult time: “it was nice because I could focus on that and I could focus on everything good that was going on in my life. It felt very familial on that set. I was going through a hard time and I know I had hard days, but everyone on the film was so nice.”
14. The death of Mara’s mother had a profound affect on the young actress. Mara lost her passion for acting.
Since Matilda, she’s only appeared in a few television shows and movies. Mara now spends more time writing. Recently, she released “Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.”
15. The homemade doll that Matilda had in the movie was indeed “homemade.” In fact, it was made by Mara herself!
The doll is named Wanda! Isn’t she awesome?
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