Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda Williams, wants people to stop sending her that viral test footage of Robin lookalike Jamie Costa. The footage titled “ROBIN Test Footage Scene” shows actor Jamie Costa on the set of Mork & Mindy on March 4, 1982, which was also the day after Williams’ friend and fellow comedian John Belushi died from an overdose.
Shortly after, Pam Dawber (played by Sarah Murphree) delivers the tragic news, which then pans to a visibly shaken Williams before he gets back into character for the show.
Zelda Williams has had enough of seeing that footage of Robin lookalike Jamie Costa
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
While Zelda seems to be totally over the video, it has become beloved by many fans of Williams who, without a doubt, miss him and his comedy terribly. The video has even led to petitions and fan-led campaigns to get the impersonator a biopic or some sort of other gig. While fans obviously loved it, Zelda hated that fans kept spamming her with it.
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“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,” she tweeted recently.
Zelda responds to critics
October 23, 2006 Los Angeles, CA
Picture: Paul Smith / Featureflash
However, there were some fans that didn’t understand why Zelda was voicing her discomfort over the video. “Maybe it’s not meant to be cruel or rude. Or promote sadness. A lot of us regular people loved your Dad, for many, many, reasons. If that clip stops one person from doing drugs, I say it’s a win/win. Love and light to you,” one fan responds.
Zelda responded to those specific Twitter users as well, explaining her side. “I said nothing about cruel or rude… The clip made me uncomfy so I was asking kindly for folks to stop sending it to me over and over. Your love for Dad doesn’t mean I have to tolerate being bombarded in silence, and being projected upon can be pretty exhausting some days.”
