Eavesdropping

Mara Wilson Confronts the Hereafter

The writer and former "Mrs. Doubtfire" star shares what it's like to grow up obsessed with death and why she's seeking out a Neil deGrasse Tyson-type.

Photo Credit: Ari Scott

As a tiny kid with a huge smile, Mara Wilson starred in films like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Matilda.” Now 29, she’s traded acting for writing in outlets like McSweeney’s. And her latest work is a memoir called, “Where Am I Now.”

In the audio above, she shares an excerpt that finds her waxing poetic about her childhood obsession with death, her relationship with the tooth fairy (who she named after her “Mrs. Doubtfire” co-star Sally Field), and her desire to get astrophysical with a scientist who will ease her existential woes about a vast and chaotic universe.