Revisiting Matilda — The Legacy That Never Left
It’s almost poetic that Matilda found new life on Netflix in 2022 with Matilda the Musical.
Younger audiences rediscovered the story; older ones remembered who started it all.
When fans tagged her online, she responded warmly:
“I love that Matilda keeps inspiring people — she was brave in ways I couldn’t be.”
Danny DeVito, her on-screen father and lifelong friend, once said, “Mara Wilson was the heart of that movie.”
She still is.
What She Wants You to Know
In interviews, Mara is often asked what she’d tell her younger self.
Her answer varies, but it always circles back to compassion:
“You’re allowed to stop performing. You’re allowed to rest.”
That sentence resonates with millions who grew up watching her.
Because Mara Wilson isn’t just Matilda. She’s the adult version of every gifted, anxious kid who once thought they had to be perfect.