Matthew Lawrence carries Robin Williams’ words of wisdom with him throughout his career.
The former child star, who starred alongside the legendary comedian in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” recalled exclusively to Page Six how Williams taught him lessons for “navigating” the entertainment industry.
“Robin Williams was the landmark figure in my young career,” Lawrence told us on Thursday.
“Not only was he the most brilliant artist, but he was just the most compassionate, humble, good human being I’ve yet to work with in this business.”
The “Brotherly Love” alum said Williams — who died by suicide in 2014 after decades of battling depression — was at the forefront of his mind when he was asked to appear on “The Masked Singer.”
“‘Don’t act in fear,’” the actor said, recalling the powerful message his longtime friend once shared with him. “He would say that all the time and it’s so special.”
Lawrence developed stage fright when it came to singing after bombing a Broadway audition years ago.
He said he was once flown out to New York by casting director Bernard Telsey but “didn’t know quite what [he] was up against,” and had to audition in front of a “packed house” — including some famous faces.
“I think David Letterman was shooting a couple blocks away, so he came over and the guests that he had that night were in the audience to watch,” Lawrence explained.
The “Hot Chick” actor said he had prepared to sing with a background track, not a pianist, which prompted him to completely panic and choke on stage.
“It threw me off a little bit, because I didn’t know exactly in the song where he was, and that turned into a stage fright moment, where I went to go sing — and my throat closed up,” he shared. “There [were] murmurs in the crowd, and I, like, ran off stage.”
However, because of Williams’ life lessons — and some encouragement from loved ones, including brother Joey Lawrence and Andy Lawrence — Matt finally faced his fears for “The Masked Singer.”
“When they called to ask if I’d be on the show, I was honored, but … because of this fear, I was like, ‘I don’t know’ … and then I’m so glad my family pushed me, you know, to do it,” he said.
The “Brotherly Love Podcast” co-host, who performed on the masked singing show as Paparazzo, even had the opportunity to pay homage to Williams by singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Lawrence described that tribute on stage as a “lightning in the bottle moment” because he had been “riddled with fear and sweating bullets” throughout his other performances — except that one.
“There was definitely an elevated moment that brought my performance better than even I was thinking I could do,” the “Boy Meets World” alum added. “I do believe there was some spiritual aspect to that.”
“The Masked Singer” airs Wednesdays on Fox at 8 p.m. ET and can also be streamed on Hulu.
