Matthew Lawrence wants to bring back Robin Williams’ voice using AI.
The former child actor, who starred alongside Williams in the 1993 hit Mrs. Doubtfire, told Entertainment Weekly at Comic-Con he’s serious about using AI to resurrect the late comedian’s iconic voice—with the family’s blessing.
Lawrence recently found an old commercial where Williams did a computerized voiceover. That sparked the idea to make Williams the “voice of AI.” He even imagines Williams giving directions on your phone. 
“I would love — now, obviously, with the respect and with the OK from his family — but I would love to do something really special with his voice because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic,” Lawrence said.
“It’s not just the fact that I knew him and worked with him and so it’s in my head — it’s in everybody’s head. And it would be so cool.”
Robin Williams died in 2014 at 63. Mrs. Doubtfire grossed over $440 million worldwide and remains one of his biggest comedies.
Lawrence also opened up about Williams’ impact on his life beyond acting. He recalled Williams warning him to avoid drugs, sharing personal struggles to keep the young actor on a safer path.
“He was the first adult who really let me in on his condition. Like, full-on let me in,” Lawrence said.
“I mean, as bright as he was on camera — I would go visit him in his trailer to talk to him — it was painful for him. It’s really painful for him. He didn’t hide it. He talked to me about it.”
“Don’t ever do drugs. Especially cocaine.”
“He was very serious,” Lawrence added. “He was like, ‘You know when you come to my trailer and you see me like that?’ He’s like, ‘That’s the reason why. And now I’m fighting for the rest of my life because I spent 10 years doing something very stupid every day. Do not do it.’ I stayed away from it because of him.”
Lawrence says Williams’ prank during his audition secured him the role in Mrs. Doubtfire over another child actor.
“[Robin] very secretly reached behind my back and pinched me so hard,” Lawrence said. “The studio started bawling and wept. I got the role because of that little moment over the other boy. It was all Robin Williams. ‘I know what I’m going to do to get this kid this job.’ Thank you, Rob.”
Lawrence hasn’t announced any official AI projects with Williams’ voice yet. But the idea of reviving a cultural legend with old-school tech flair is clearly on his mind.
