Jessica Chastain has had roles in some award-winning, critically acclaimed films, but her career as an actress might not have taken off so quickly had she not gotten a good education at Juilliard. Now, the actress has come forward with another sweet story about Robin Williams, whose tragic suicide earlier this month left fans and friends in mourning.

Chastain said on Facebook recently that her family didn’t have the money to send her to the prestigious performing arts school, so she was counting on a scholarship to get in, and that’s how Williams changed her life.

“I’m the first person in my family to go to college. We didn’t have a lot of money, and Juilliard is a pretty expensive school. Robin Williams is a very generous Juilliard alumnus, and gives a scholarship every two years to a student, and it pays for everything, and I got it. I still haven’t gotten to meet him,” she said in an interview previous to Williams’ death.

Williams was found hanging in his home earlier this month, and his family acknowledged that he had suffered from depression and had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. His daughter Zelda released a statement online following his death, including a quote from Antoine De Saint-Exupery that drew words of sympathy from fans all over the world. However, Zelda withdrew from social media immediately afterward when several people began sending her digitally manipulated pictures of Williams and cruel messages.

“To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh. As for those who are sending negativity, know that some small, giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car. Right after you’ve had it washed. After all, he loved to laugh too,” she wrote online.

Image via Wikimedia Commons