Over three decades have passed since Mrs. Doubtfire premiered in theaters, but the film remains prominent even now, and star Sally Field knows why. Of course, comedy is a big part of the film, but Field believes it also addresses numerous other issues with its light tone that are still relevant today.

Sally Field explains why Mrs. Doubtfire is still relevant

Sally Field, who starred as Miranda Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire, spoke to Parade about the iconic film, 33 years after its theatrical premiere. Over the decades, this has remained a beloved classic. Field believes that the comedic elements of the movie were not the only reason behind this.

“The movie is about something really valid and important,” the 79-year-old said, “It’s a lot of laughter, but it’s about the difficulties of divorce for children and how ultimately, the mom and the dad can get divorced, and the kids will still be okay. Kids need to know this—they need to know that sometimes divorce is the very best thing because sometimes when moms and dads feel they need to stay together for the kids, it’s a bad message.”

The film follows Daniel Hillard, played by Robin Williams, who dresses up as an elderly British nanny to spend more time with his kids following his divorce from Field’s character. The actress added, “You want your children to understand that finding a partner to support you, love you, and grow with you, and challenge you, is a really wonderful thing. And if it isn’t working, that’s okay, too. Not every relationship is supposed to last’ till the end of time.’”

Field also pointed out that in Mrs. Doubtfire, director Chris Columbus made sure to keep no “villain,” per se. “We wanted to say to the kids that there are no bad guys in this,” she said, “Life isn’t just one thing. And if you clamp down on it and demand that it stay this one thing, you miss the really fabulous colors of life and all its different paths. Like ‘Oh wait, there’s this path and that path. I didn’t see that.’”

Mrs. Doubtfire is available for streaming on Netflix.