Actor’s incredible portrayal of Robin Williams sees fans calling for biopic
Jamie Costa's uncanny impression has wowed fans online
Fans of Robin Williams are calling for actor Jamie Costa to play the late actor in a new biopic.
The actor shared a video of himself playing Williams on the set of hit television show ‘Mork And Mindy’ in 1982, reacting to the news that his friend and colleague John Belushi had died. Belushi died in of a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, aged 33. Williams was with the comedian just hours before his death.
Fans were so taken by the uncanny impression that it went viral online, with many calling for Costa to play Williams in any eventual biopic.
One fan described the video as “incredible” and another said “This isn’t just a great impression. He embodies and transforms into Robin Williams. F****** amazing!” A third user added: “This isn’t just the best Robin Williams impression I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the best impressions ever – of anyone.”
You can watch the video and see some of the fan reaction here:
It’s not clear yet if the clip means a biopic of Williams is in the works or whether Costa’s video is an attempt to generate interest in a potential biopic in the future. Rolling Stone has reached out to Costa for comment.
Earlier in the week, Williams’ daughter, Zelda, reacted to the video on social media. While she recognised Costa as “super talented”, she also asked fans to respect her and her families ongoing grief after being inundated with links to the video online.
Zelda wrote: “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.” You can feel the pain in her tweet because she didn’t want address the video in the first place — not because Costa isn’t doing good work — but because grief lingers for a family well beyond a funeral.”
Williams died by suicide in 2014, following a misdiagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Back in August, both Zelda and her brother Zak took to social media to remember their father on the seventh anniversary of his death.
Zak wrote: “The joy and inspiration you brought to the world carries on in your legacy and in your family, friends, and fans you so loved. You lived to bring laughter and to help others. I will be celebrating your memory today. Love you forever.”