Zelda Williams asks people to stop sending viral video of her father ‘on one of his saddest days’

Clip of Jamie Costa portraying Robin Williams has amassed nearly 4.5 million views

Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams, has asked people to stop sending her the viral video of an actor impersonating her father.

Earlier this week, Jamie Costa shared a five-minute clip in which he channels the late comedian. The video has since amassed nearly 4.5 million views, with many viewers commending Costa for his performance.

However, Zelda has asked people to stop sending her the clip.

“Guys, I’m only saying this because I don’t think it’ll stop until I acknowledge it,” she said. “Please stop sending me the ‘test footage’. I’ve seen it.”

The 32-year-old added: “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.”

Costa – who starred in 2016’s Star Wars: Origins – shared the video to YouTube under the title “ROBIN Test Footage Scene” on Tuesday (12 October).

In the scene, Costa portrays Williams on 5 March in 1982, the day he learned from his Mork & Mindy co-star, Pam Dawber, that his friend and fellow comic John Belushi died of an overdose hours after they had been together.

In the 2018 documentary Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, Dawber recalled how she had broken the news of Belushi’s death to Williams.

“We just walked together toward our trailers and just before he went into his trailer, I said, ‘If that ever happens to you, I will find you and kill you first,’” she said. “And he said, ‘Dawbs, that’s never gonna happen to me.’”

Archival footage featured in the documentary sees Williams open up about Belushi’s death and how it helped him get sober.

The Good Will Hunting star said: “Here’s this guy who’s a beast, who could do anything, and he’s gone. That sobered the s*** out of me.”

Zelda – who is an actor – is one of the comedian’s three children.

This article was amended on 22 October 2021 to change an incorrect reference to Jim Belushi. It should have referred to John Belushi.