Actress Mara Wilson has again described how director Danny DeVito and his then-wife, actress Rhea Perlman, supported her family in 1995 and 1996, while her mother, Suzie, was dying of breast cancer during the filming of Matilda.
TL;DR
- Suzie Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after nine-year-old Mara Wilson was cast as Matilda.
- DeVito and Perlman regularly looked after Wilson while her mother was in hospital, including the night before her mastectomy.
- Wilson has said DeVito privately showed her mother an early cut of the film before she died in April 1996.
- Matilda was dedicated to Suzie Wilson's memory when it reached cinemas that August.
A second family on the Matilda set
Mara Wilson was nine years old when DeVito cast her in the title role of his 1996 adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel. Weeks after she landed the part, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a Nicki Swift report citing contemporaneous coverage from People.
Suzie underwent chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiation while accompanying her daughter to the set most days, the report noted. DeVito and Perlman, who played Matilda's mother, Zinnia Wormwood, stepped in whenever Suzie needed to be in hospital.
The night before her mother's mastectomy, Mara Wilson stayed at Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman's home. Source: Nicki Swift, citing People magazine
'It kept me distracted'
Wilson has spoken about the arrangement in interviews marking the film's anniversaries. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight for Matilda's 25th anniversary, she said DeVito and Perlman would take her to the theatre or to their house "usually done when my mother was in the hospital," according to ABC News. "It really did keep me distracted, and it really did keep me happy," Wilson said.
In an earlier interview with Parade, cited by Far Out Magazine, Wilson said of the production, "It felt very familial on that set."
Suzie Wilson died on 26 April 1996, several months before Matilda opened in cinemas that August. Wilson has written that DeVito visited her mother in hospital and privately showed her an early cut of the film so she could see her daughter's performance before she died, a detail reported by Scoop Upworthy from Wilson's memoir, Where Am I Now? The finished film carries a dedication to Suzie's memory.
Why it matters now
The story resurfaces periodically as Matilda continues to find new audiences on streaming and through its stage-musical counterpart, and as Wilson, now an author and playwright, continues to speak publicly about grief and child stardom. DeVito and Wilson have also discussed reuniting for a live "Matilda in Concert" narration with an orchestra, a plan first reported by The List.
UK release and streaming details
Matilda was classified PG by the British Board of Film Classification for UK cinema release in August 1996. In the UK, the film has been available to stream on Netflix as part of a standard subscription, according to Vodzilla, though streaming availability rotates and should be checked before viewing.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 19 July 2026.
