Grown-up child star Mara Wilson will always be grateful to her movie parents from Matilda, Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman - because they supported her when her mother lost her battle with cancer.

The real-life couple played Wilson's mean parents in the hit 1996 movie but they were really sweet to her in between takes and made her part of their family for trips to the theatre and summer pool parties.

And they really stepped up when the young actress' mum fell ill while they were making the film.

Wilson says, "I was eight years old. It was very hard... and they were very nice. While my mom was sick and in the hospital, they would invite me over and take care of me and get my mind off things. I felt very familial."