Jessica Chastain regrets not thanking Robin Williams in person for scholarship

Jessica Chastain regrets not thanking Robin Williams in person for paying for her college education.

The Oscar-winning actress was awarded a scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York City in the late '90s, with the grant funded by the actor/comedian.

Reflecting on the importance of the scholarship during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday, Jessica noted that the funding changed her life.

"What an incredible human being," she gushed of Robin. "The scholarship is a huge deal, I am the first person in my family to go to college, it paid for all of my schooling, it paid for me to be able to go home for Christmas and see my family, it paid for my books, my apartment, everything. Every year, I wrote a letter to thank him. But I never got to meet him."

However, Jessica noted that she regrets not approaching Robin when she once spotted him eating lunch at a café in Los Angeles.

"I always regret that. Because I didn't have the opportunity to meet him. Anytime someone comes up to me, I'm always like, 'Thank you for coming up because this happened to me once, where I had an opportunity to meet someone who I really wanted to talk to and I didn't take it.' Whenever someone comes up to me, I'm so happy to say hi to them. It's a great lesson," the 45-year-old continued.

Robin died at the age of 63 in August 2014.