Danny DeVito directed and narrated "Matilda," but also played Mr. Wormwood, Matilda's unimpressed father. But in real life, he extended his role by becoming a supportive father figure to Mara Wilson, along with his on and off-screen wife, Rhea Perlman. "I feel like Danny and I just kind of understood each other. I don't know what it was, but I immediately felt a connection with him," Wilson told Entertainment Tonight.
At the time, Wilson's mother was battling breast cancer, and DeVito became a pillar of support for her. "Danny and Rhea would take me to the theater to see a play, or to the movies or to just hang out at their house, things like that, that was all usually done when my mother was in the hospital," she recalled. "It really did keep me distracted, and it really did keep me happy."
Wilson's mother was a huge Roald Dahl fan, especially when it came to "Matilda," and had encouraged her daughter to play the part. Tragically, she did not get to see Wilson on screen as she died a few months before the release of the movie. However, Wilson's biography "Where Am I Now?" reveals that DeVito had visited the hospital and showed Wilson's mother the first cut of the movie, which the actress only found out years later (via Little Things). DeVito also dedicated the movie to Wilson's mother. "I really loved that they did that," she told ET. "I felt so glad when I saw that in the credits, and I still feel happy when I see that now."
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