Comedian's spot-on impression of Robin Williams has fans demanding a biopic of the late actor

Robin Williams was one of the greatest stars to grace the screens of Hollywood. The icon sadly passed away in 2014 at the age of 63, leaving behind a legacy of countless memorable films and performances. Over the years, many have tried to recreate them and impersonate the star but it seems none came close to what comedian and actor Jamie Costa accomplished. In 2022, Costa shared a 5-minute-long clip titled "Robin Test Footage Scene" on his YouTube channel.

The clip was later deleted but not before media took notice of Costa's talent and incredible impersonation skills. Fans of the late actor were left spellbound watching Costa looking like a spitting image of the "Dead Poet's Society" actor. According to CNN, in the now-deleted footage, Costa appeared as Mork from Williams' 1978 sitcom "Mork and Mindy." Costa shared the screen with fellow actress Sarah Murphee playing the character of Mindy, who was originally portrayed by Pam Dawber.

In the clip, Mindy interrupts Mork as he runs through his lines to break the news of comedian John Belushi's death and we see Mork's reaction to it. The footage was circulated on several social media sites and one YouTube creator used AI to make Costa's footage look even more like that of William's actual footage from the sitcom. The video, which was remastered with AI and posted on the YouTube channel of stryderHD, eventually reached William's daughter Zelda. However, unlike the actor's fans, she expressed her discomfort over a post on X that has since been deleted. 

Zelda has been actively voicing her opinions against the use of AI in cinema. According to Deadline, Zelda addressed the matter in an Instagram story that read, “I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI. I’ve witnessed for years how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real. I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my feelings. Living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their human effort and time into the pursuit of performance.”

She also added that "these recreations are a poor facsimile of greater people" and "a horrendous Frankensteinian monster." On the other hand people on the internet and his fan pages expressed a desire to see Costa play Williams in a potential biopic. TV producer @ScottNevins wrote in his X post, "This is incredible! Jamie Costa is an actor/comedian who gained notoriety a few years back for his uncanny impersonation of Robin Williams. He has since teamed up with others to create this 'test footage' as a pitch for a potential full-length movie." 

@harrisoneast_commented, "I can see why people are against the idea. He was a silver screen hero, a timeless classic. However, what better way to appreciate his life's work, than in the same way he touched so many people? If done, it has to be done properly and this is an amazing first step." @CindyWorden1973 quipped, "This is totally great. It is like watching the real Robin Williams. I hope they make this into a full-length movie." @shadow_of_neo added, "I am slightly against the idea, I'd love to see someone attempt to reach his level and tell a story but he was a timelessly unique individual and his generosity and spirit should be honored not blasphemed. Remember the man for who he was, honor him the right way."