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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jamie Roberts

Rebel Wilson reveals Robin Williams encouraged her to pursue dramatic roles

Rebel Wilson has opened up on the career advice given to her by the late Robin Williams.

The Australian actress, 42, said the Mrs Doubtfire actor gave her her inspiration to switch up her roles when they were on the set for 2014 hit Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

She had previously built her career on playing comedic roles, like those she took on in Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids. However, last year she landed her first dramatic role in The Almond and the Seahorse - and she says it stemmed from the advice given to her eight years ago.

Robin Williams told Rebel Wilson she could have a good career in drama (Getty Images)

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rebel said: "It was a freezing cold night in London and I was doing a scene with Ben Stiller and just kind of improvising, trying to get more lines in the movie and just chitchatting and bantering while cameras were rolling. Then Robin Williams came up and asked me to have a chat."

She said the pair then chatted for around 45 minutes in between shots and he told her she would be well suited to a career in drama movie.

Rebel is set to star in The Almond and the Seahorse (Getty Images for AFI)
Robin Williams died in 2014 (Getty Images)

"I was surprised because I don't know how he watched that scene I just did and thought I should be doing drama," she continued. "But he said, 'You should 100 percent be doing drama as well.' It really stuck with me."

Robin sadly died by suicide in 2014 before the movie was released, but his daughter Zelda told Rebel her dad had enjoyed their chat.

And it turns out Rebel took the conversation with her too, with it leading to her playing her part in The Almond and the Seahorse, which is set for release.

Rebel has been looking for the right project (Getty Images for AFI)

The film portrays an archaeologist and an architect's fight to re-imagine a future after an injury to their brain leaves them distant from those who they love.

Rebel continued: "I always thought, if Robin Williams thought I could do it, then I may as well give it a try. So we've been looking for a project and then Almond and the Seahorse came up. It's a very challenging script and really gutsy so I thought, let's give it a go."

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