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Robin Williams’ daughter has seen that viral ‘test footage.’ Stop sending it to her

A woman with a blunt, short haircut
Zelda Williams felt “uncomfy” watching Jamie Costa’s viral impersonation of her late father.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision/Associated Press)
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Yes, Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda Williams, has seen the viral video of an actor channeling her late dad on YouTube. But she would very much like people to stop spamming her with it.

Zelda Williams took to Twitter this week to share her discomfort with the clip, titled “ROBIN Test Footage Scene,” which featured actor Jamie Costa as the beloved comedian in a highly produced bit.

Costa plays Williams on the set of “Mork & Mindy” on March 4, 1982, the day after Williams’ friend and fellow comedian John Belushi died of an overdose. Williams’ co-star, Pam Dawber (played by Sarah Murphree), delivers the news in his dressing room and it visibly shakes him before he gets back in character for the show.

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The five-minute video was posted to YouTube Tuesday by the little-known Costa. It has since racked up 4.8 million views, earned glowing reviews in the comments section under the video and initiated fan-led campaigns to get the spot-on impersonator a biopic or TV deal.

A young woman and her father
Zelda Williams and her father, Robin Williams, arrive at the L.A. premiere of “Old Dogs” in 2009.
(Katy Winn / Associated Press)

Williams’ daughter watched it too, but she didn’t love how she was bombarded with the clip. In fact, she thinks it’s “weird” that fans keep sending it to her.

“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,” the 32-year-old tweeted Tuesday.

Her tweet opened the floodgates for users to send her “unsolicited pet pictures under otherwise somewhat bummer posts,” which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Robin Williams, who rose to fame on television as a memorable alien in “Mork & Mindy” and went on to become an Oscar-winning dramatic actor, died Monday at 63 in Marin County.

Aug. 11, 2014

But it also prompted some of Robin Williams’ fans to take issue with her discomfort, particularly those who praised Costa’s performance and her father’s legacy as a public figure.

“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,” replied a Twitter user.

“I said nothing about cruel or rude,” Williams replied Thursday. “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.”

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When reached Friday by The Times, Costa’s talent agent said that the actor prefers to “lay low” for a bit and will respond to questions soon.

Zelda Williams was reluctantly launched into the limelight after her father, who was known for his whip-fast impressions and elastic facial expressions, committed suicide in 2014.

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