It’s the news that possibly some people are talking about: The Lawrence Brothers were at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Huey, Dewey, & Louie Joey, Matthew & Andrew are there to plug their latest joint venture: a graphic novel called The Lawrence Brothers Detective Agency, which they describe as their own mash up of The Hardy Boys, Scooby-Doo, Barry, and BoJack Horseman. That’s… a lot. The idea came to them 15 years ago when they were on vacation together, and is currently one month into a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. As of this writing, the bros have raised $16,377 towards their goal of $50K. If that doesn’t work, maybe they can apply for an NEA or NEH grant— oh, wait, never mind. What’s really making headlines out of their appearance, though, are some comments middle-brother Matthew made about his Mrs. Doubtfire costar Robin Williams. Matthew thinks it’d be so cool if Robin, whom we lost 11 years ago, was posthumously made into the “voice of AI.” The idea came to him when he stumbled on an old commercial in which Robin spoke in a “computerized” voice.
Move over, Siri and Alexa. Matthew Lawrence believes that his late Mrs. Doubtfire costar Robin Williams should be the next “voice of AI.”
The actor, who played one of the children nannied by Williams’ titular Mrs. Doubtfire in the 1993 comedy, tells Entertainment Weekly that he would love to use artificial intelligence to “do something really special” with the late comedian’s voice. Williams died by suicide at 63 in 2014.
“I would love — now, obviously, with the respect and with the okay 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 shares in EW’s Comic-Con video suite on Friday.
“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.”
The idea came to Lawrence after watching one of Williams’ old commercials and realizing that it contained some interesting present-day parallels.
“It’s kinda like this very contemporary, modern, almost sort of foreshadowing of what’s going on commercial that he did, where he did this computerized voiceover,” he explains. “And it always stuck with me. And then, during his passing, with the AI coming out, I’m like, ‘Man, he’s gotta be the voice of A.I. He’s gotta be the voice in something.’ So yeah, I would love to do that.”
The uses for the program are potentially endless, including having Williams become the helpful voice giving you driving directions on your phone. “It would be Robin!” Lawrence cheers. “It would be so cool. I’m telling you.”
When speaking with EW in April, Lawrence explained that Williams taught him two really important life lessons during the film’s production: the “type of compassion you need to have for people,” and how you “don’t judge until you walk in someone else’s shoes.”
I mean, where do we even begin here? There’s the thin logic of, “His voice is in my head, that means it’s in everyone’s head!” There’s the ridiculousness of Matthew hatching this idea after hearing Robin use a robot voice in an ad. There’s the weirdness of an actor advocating for the use of AI, not for themselves but with another actor. There’s Matthew being all giddy saying, “I would love to do something really special with his voice,” and then the ONLY concrete example given is using Robin’s voice… for the GPS on our phones. That one really cracked me up. But the most important issue with this bonkers suggestion from Matthew, is the bit where he says, “With the respect and with the okay from his family.” Clearly, Matthew didn’t have the respect to check out if the family had put out any thoughts about Robin and AI, before he went and blabbed about it to the press. Because Robin’s daughter Zelda Williams has been on the record for years now with her anti-AI views in general, and also specifically how disturbing it has been to unwittingly encounter AI versions of her father that have already been made.
Between this and Matthew totally telling on himself earlier this year, in his anecdote about working with Gabrielle Union in the 1990s, maybe Matthew might want to run his thoughts by one or a few people before he takes them live? Just a thought.
Photos credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images, WENN/Avalon, Getty
Robin would never. He hated his likeness and his voice being used, in his words, to “sell stuff”. He had a very famous feud with Disney about it.
Matthew needs to have any curiosity about the world and a drive to actually learn before he shares his “thoughts” with the press.
What?? NO! Robin Williams is dead. He is not here to give his approval or not. No one who has passed away should be a voice, hologram, replica, robot, etc, unless they gave clear, alert, legal, mentally acute, permission before death.
Can the Lawrences just go away ready? Ugh.
I hope Matthew is more charming and thoughtful in person than he comes across in media because otherwise, Chilli, what are you doing?
No.