Mara Wilson's mother Suzie Shapiro Wilson died of breast cancer while the movie was being filmed. Mara honored her mother by bravely finishing "Matilda", which was dedicated to her mother's memory.
The picture of Miss Honey's father, Magnus, is actually a portrait of Roald Dahl, the author of the book "Matilda," upon which the film is based.
In stark contrast to their characters, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman became very close to Mara Wilson during production. According to Wilson, DeVito and Perlman would often let her stay at their home and keep her entertained while her father was working and her mother was in the hospital receiving cancer treatments.
Mara Wilson's mother died during production of the film. Mara had thought for years that her mother had never gotten to see the completed film. But years later, Danny DeVito revealed he had shown her mom a rough cut of what they had filmed shortly before she died.
Mara Wilson was so self-conscious about dancing for the "Little Bitty Pretty One" sequence that Danny DeVito had the entire cast and crew dance with her on set.
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