The late, great Robin Williams famously played the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, and now it seems his daughter Zelda is following in his footsteps.
Instagram recently brought out filters that determine which character you are. From Harry Potter witches and wizards to RuPaul’s Drag Race drag queens, there’s something for everyone – a popular one being ‘What Disney Character Are You?’.
Jumping on the insta-trend, Zelda Williams tried the Disney filter and, much to her own surprise as well as her 193,000 followers, she landed the the Genie.
In response to landing on the character formerly played by her dad, the 30-year-old actress laughed at the coincidence.
The original film was released in 1992 and has stars such as Linda Larkin and Gilbert Gottfied alongside Robin Williams. A remake of the Disney classic was released last year with Will Smith voicing the Genie.
Williams took his own life in 2014. Though he was known to have struggled with depression, it was later revealed the actor and comedian was showing signs of suffering with Lewy Body dementia – a type of dementia accompanied by changes in behaviour, cognition, and movement.
His wife Susan Schneider described the disease as ‘the terrorist inside my husband’s brain’.
In July 2018, a few days before what would have been Robin’s 67th birthday, Zelda took to Instagram to pay tribute to her dad.
The post heartfelt post read:
It’s that time of year again. Everyone who has dealt with loss knows the pain of certain anniversaries, moments full of memory that come round like clockwork and usurp all others, no matter how hard you may try to prepare for or avoid them. These weeks are the hardest for me, and thus, you’ll see me a lot less, if at all.
For all the internet’s good intentions in expressing to me their fondness for dad, it’s very overwhelming to have strangers need me to know how much they cared for him right now. It’s harder still to be expected to reach back. So while I’ve got the strength, consider this my one open armed response, before I go take my yearly me time to celebrate his and my birthdays in peace.
Thank you for loving him. Thank you for supporting him and his life’s work. Thank you for missing him. I do too. If you’d like to do something in his honor, volunteer at your local homeless shelter, or look up how to make homeless aid backpacks. Give one in his name. He’d have loved that.
It’s not surprising Zelda got the Genie, is it?
If you’re experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They’re open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58, and they also have a webchat service if you’re not comfortable talking on the phone.
Niamh Shackleton is a pint sized person and journalist at UNILAD. After studying Multimedia Journalism at the University of Salford, she did a year at Caters News Agency as a features writer in Birmingham before deciding that Manchester is (arguably) one of the best places in the world, and therefore moved back up north. She’s also UNILAD’s unofficial crazy animal lady.