Again in 2023, Robin Williams’s daughter, Zelda, passionately spoke out in opposition to the “disturbing” thought of synthetic intelligence getting used to recreate her late dad’s voice, with the vastly beloved actor dying by suicide in 2014 at age 63.
Robin was famously very protecting of the usage of his voice work in life, and even feuded with Disney after they used his Aladdin character, the Genie, to promote merchandise. The feud was so dramatic that Robin didn’t return for the animated film’s sequel, and Homer Simpson voice actor, Dan Castellaneta, was solid to exchange him because the Genie as an alternative. Robin did return for the third film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, two years later.
And Zelda advocated for her father in a press release that was issued in assist of the Writers Guild of America and the Display screen Actors Guild’s struggle in opposition to AI two years in the past. She wrote on the time: “I’m not an neutral voice within the SAG’s struggle in opposition to AI. I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many individuals wish to practice these fashions to create/ recreate actors who can not consent, like Dad.”
And this is the reason folks have been left so mad at Matthew Lawrence — who labored with Robin as a toddler star — after he not too long ago doubled down on his want to use AI to do “one thing actually particular” in Robin’s reminiscence.
For reference, Matthew was 12 years previous when he performed Robin’s son Chris within the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire. He was already a fairly established little one actor by the point that he landed the position, however he has at all times been extremely open about how influential working with Robin on this movie was for him.
In a separate interview with Leisure Weekly, Matthew shared: “I did not fairly notice it on the time, however that second there on set of Mrs. Doubtfire, that these six to eight months have been the largest studying curve anybody can get in relation to making films and being an entertainer.”
“After which on prime of that, you get an opportunity to be round Robin Williams, and he takes an funding in you, as he does with folks. However specifically, he actually took an funding with me,” he went on. “He actually quantified what it was to be an actual artist for me within the sense that he was positively, and I labored with some nice folks, and he was positively essentially the most good artist I’ve ever labored with.”
And Matthew doubled down on his thought to make use of AI to carry Robin’s voice again to the plenty throughout his look in Leisure Weekly’s Comedian-Con video suite on Friday — and it didn’t go down effectively with followers.
However this concept sparked prompt criticism on social media, with one vastly viral tweet responding to Matthew’s quotes merely studying: “Inform him to fuck off.”
Others referenced Zelda’s previous feedback, with one particular person sharing a screenshot of a information article about her quotes and writing: “Yeah, I doubt Matthew Lawrence goes to get that permission…”
What do you make of Matthew’s feedback? Let me know down under!
