Director Chris Columbus has cleared up speculation around a rumored NC-17-rated cut of his beloved 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
There’s no NC-17 version of the Robin Williams-led flick, but there is an R-rated cut, Columbus told Entertainment Weekly.
“The reality is that there was a deal between Robin and myself, which was, he’ll do one or two, three scripted takes,” Columbus said. “And then he would say, ‘Then let me play.’ And we would basically go on anywhere between 15 to 22 takes, I think 22 being the most I remember.”
“Mrs. Doubtfire,” which was released with a PG-13 rating, starred Williams as divorced dad Daniel Hillard, who poses as an elderly female nanny named Euphegenia Doubtfire to remain close to his children.
Fans were buzzing about the possibility of an NC-17 version this week after a viral tweet from the account Film Facts stated that the late Williams had “improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 cuts.”
The tweet was based on something Columbus himself said in 2015. The director, who called Williams “the best actor I’ve worked with,” told Yahoo Entertainment he had ended up with “literally, a PG rated version of the film, PG-13, R, and NC-17.”
However, Columbus told EW this week that the “NC-17” comment was a joke.
An R movie rating means that children under 17 must be accompanied to see it in theaters by a parent or adult guardian, while an NC-17 rating means that no one under the age of 17 will be admitted.
It’s unclear if fans craving a naughtier version of the iconic nanny will get their wish. When asked if he’d ever let the public see an R-rated “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Columbus said he’d be “open” to a documentary about the making of the movie, which could include scenes from the R-rated version.
Members of the cast had reminisced about Williams’ hilarious and shocking improv during a 2018 reunion. Pierce Brosnan, who played Williams’ rival, Stu, said he “couldn’t really” keep it together in the face of the comedy legend’s many innuendos.
But Mara Wilson, who played young Natalie Hillard in the movie (the daughter of Williams’ character) noted on Twitter that Williams kept it kid-friendly when she was present.
“He didn’t say any of the blue stuff around me, but I know he said it,” she wrote. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was material for an R rating. NC-17? No way.”