Robin Williams’ Daughter Asks People to Stop Sending Her Viral Impression

Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda, is asking people to stop sending her the viral impression of her father by Jamie Costa. The late actor and comedian first rose to fame for his titular role on the sitcom Mork & Mindy, which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1982. Williams landed his first starring film role in the 1980’s Popeye, which acted as a springboard for a long and successful career. Other than his roles in family-friendly fare like Hook, Aladdin, and Jumanji, Williams branched out with dramatic performances in Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and Good Will Hunting.

Jamie Costa is an actor and impressionist known for a variety of short fan films, imitating Star Wars characters like Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi to great effect. Shortly after Williams passed away in 2014, Costa first captured his spirit and likeness in a video tribute titled “Never Had A Friend Like Him,” which featured impressions of his most memorable characters. Now, Costa has gone viral for another uncanny Robin Williams impression, this one recreating the moment in 1982 in which his Mork & Mindy co-star, Pam Dawber (played by Sarah Murphree) informs Williams of John Belushi’s untimely death.

Now, Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late actor, Robin, is urging people to stop sending her Costa’s viral video, which now has over 4.5 million views on YouTube. Zelda sent out the plea on Twitter, saying that she’s already seen it and thinks Costa is “super talented.” She clarified that this is nothing against him, though her followers “spamming” her an impression of her late father “on one of his saddest days is weird.” See her full post below:

Guys, I’m only saying this because I don’t think it’ll stop until I acknowledge it… please, stop sending me the ‘test footage’. I’ve seen it. Jamie is SUPER talented, this isn’t against him, but y’all spamming me an impression of my late Dad on one of his saddest days is weird.— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) October 12, 2021

Though Costa’s test footage was a respectful impression of the late actor, and fans were probably sending it to her in good faith, it’s understandable that she would become overwhelmed by it. Costa’s video imagines the emotional moment in which Robin Williams learned about the death of his close friend John Belushi, whom he had just spent the previous night with. For Zelda, seeing such an immersive recreation of one of her late father’s saddest moments is probably not something she wishes to watch more than once.

Zelda has followed in the footsteps of her father as an actor, appearing in shows like Criminal Minds, Dark/Web, and Jane the Virgin. She also voiced the character of Kuvira on the Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. Costa’s viral video has fans clamoring for a Robin Williams biopic starring the impressionist, though one doesn’t appear to be in the cards quite yet. Considering that Zelda acknowledges his immense talent, Costa could very well have her blessing.