Update: A viral video of longtime Robin Williams impersonator Jamie Costa wowed fans this week, and some have been wondering if investors and relatives of the late comedian and actor might consider getting behind a biopic, starring Costa as Williams. One family member is now speaking out, and while she doesn't mention what she thinks about a future flick, she is making her feelings clear on the Costa clip—and it's a mixed bag, per CNN. "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," she tweets. She goes on to say that she thinks Costa is "SUPER talented" and that it's nothing personal, but she simply doesn't want to relive seeing her father, via Costa, finding out that his buddy John Belushi had died (the scene featured in the clip). "Y'all spamming me an impression of my late Dad on one of his saddest days is weird," she notes. Our original story from Wednesday follows:
There's no biopic that's yet been made about the late Robin Williams, but that hasn't stopped one actor from pretending there is one, and that he's in the title role. People reports on a five-minute clip entitled "ROBIN Test Footage Scene" that was uploaded to YouTube on Monday by Jamie Costa, described on his own Wikipedia page as an actor, comedian, filmmaker, and "impressionist who is best known for the likeness of Robin Williams." The scene, shot as if it were a snippet from a real movie in the works, shows Costa as Williams in his dressing room on the Mork & Mindy set, about to receive some devastating news from co-star Pam Dawber (played in Costa's clip by Sarah Murphree).
That news is that fellow comedian and actor John Belushi has died, just hours after Williams last saw him. People notes that Costa, who looks eerily like Williams, gives a "heart-wrenching performance," and Williams fans have also been blown away, with some of them demanding a full-length movie about Williams be made with Costa as the star. "To capture a person's true essence so beautifully in 5 minutes. AMAZING," one admirer gushes. "Unbelievable," writes another. As of Wednesday morning, the video had more than 975,000 views.
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SFist concedes that Costa's performance gives one "the chills," but it also notes that the clip seems to be "a publicity stunt to generate interest (or investors)" and that, to get fans truly on board for an actual film, he'd likely have to have the support of the family of Williams, who died of suicide in 2014. "Robin Williams is a hallowed figure, and one should tread carefully with his name and likeness," the site warns. Still, stranger things have happened. "This attempt at reverse-engineering his own starring role ... could attract interest from some streaming service or indie studio in the age of internet celebrities," SFist notes. (More Robin Williams stories.)
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