Latest news with #Robin
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Robin Williams's Daughter On AI, Matthew Lawrence Backlash
Back in 2023, Robin Williams's daughter, Zelda, passionately spoke out against the 'disturbing' idea of artificial intelligence being used to recreate her late dad's voice, with the hugely beloved actor dying by suicide in 2014 at age 63. Robin was famously very protective of the use of his voice work in life, and even feuded with Disney after they used his Aladdin character, the Genie, to sell merchandise. The feud was so dramatic that Robin didn't return for the animated movie's sequel, and Homer Simpson voice actor, Dan Castellaneta, was cast to replace him as the Genie instead. Robin did return for the third movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, two years later. And Zelda advocated for her father in a statement that was issued in support of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild's fight against AI two years ago. She wrote at the time: 'I am not an impartial voice in the 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 own feelings,' she went on. '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.''These recreations are, at the very best, a poor facsimile of greater people, but at their worst, a horrendous Frankensteinian monster, cobbled together from the worst bits of everything this industry is, instead of what it should stand for,' Zelda concluded the post. And this is why people have been left so mad at Matthew Lawrence — who worked with Robin as a child star — after he recently doubled down on his wish to use AI to do 'something really special' in Robin's memory. For reference, Matthew was 12 years old when he played Robin's son Chris in the 1993 movie Mrs. Doubtfire. He was already a pretty established child actor by the time that he landed the role, but he has always been incredibly open about how influential working with Robin on this film was for him. "He stayed a part of my life, you know?' the now-45-year-old star told People earlier this year. 'That movie could have wrapped [and] like everybody else, he could have gone his separate way, but he didn't.''He stayed invested, and he gave me some incredible life lessons that definitely kept me from some dark places at times. And I'll just never be able to thank him enough for that,' Matthew added. In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Matthew shared: 'I didn't quite realize it at the time, but that moment there on set of Mrs. Doubtfire, that those six to eight months were the biggest learning curve anyone can get when it comes to making movies and being an entertainer.' 'And then on top of that, you get a chance to be around Robin Williams, and he takes an investment in you, as he does with people. But in particular, he really took an investment with me,' he went on. "He really quantified what it was to be a real artist for me in the sense that he was definitely, and I worked with some great people, and he was definitely the most brilliant artist I've ever worked with.' 'But on top of that, he had the compassion, he had the humility, and he also had these things that he struggled with,' Matthew noted. 'Man, it's a real shame that he's not with us. There's not a day that goes by that I don't hear his voice,' he then told the publication. 'I even wish, now with artificial intelligence, I kind of want to go to his family and be like: 'Would you guys allow me to use his voice for some sort of creative expression?' Because I hear it every day, in my head.' And Matthew doubled down on his idea to use AI to bring Robin's voice back to the masses during his appearance in Entertainment Weekly's Comic-Con video suite on Friday — and it did not go down well with fans. In the conversation, Matthew explained: 'I would love — obviously, with the respect and with the OK from his family — I would love to do something really special with his voice because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic.''It's not just the fact that I knew him and worked with him and so it's in my head — it's in everybody's head. And it would be so cool,' Matthew went on, before detailing that the idea came to him after he watched one of Robin's old commercials. 'It's kinda like this very contemporary, modern, almost sort of foreshadowing of what's going on commercial that he did, where he did this computerized voiceover,' Matthew shared. 'And it always stuck with me. And then, during his passing, with the AI coming out, I'm like: 'Man, he's gotta be the voice of AI. He's gotta be the voice in something.' So yeah, I would love to do that.' But this idea sparked instant criticism on social media, with one hugely viral tweet responding to Matthew's quotes simply reading: 'Tell him to fuck off.' 'No. Let the man rest and our memories of him go on,' somebody else wrote, while another tweeted: 'The possibility of exploiting the talent of dead people through AI is sincerely one of its most repugnant uses, utterly disrespectful for artist of the past and the future.' And one more added: 'theres no amount of respect or consent from his family that would ever make it okay to use AI on a person especially if theyve passed away.' Others referenced Zelda's past comments, with one person sharing a screenshot of a news article about her quotes and writing: "Yeah, I doubt Matthew Lawrence is going to get that permission..." "Zelda would never be okay with it. You'll never see him in AI. Don't even bother asking the first time," somebody else wrote: "His daughter, Zelda Williams would absolutely refuse. She absolutely hates it when people use AI to impersonate her father." What do you make of Matthew's comments? Let me know down below!
Evening Standard
2 days ago
- Evening Standard
The best solo travel destinations for an unforgettable summer holiday
Since the quietly unassuming Peak District draws fewer tourists than the Lake District, it's the ideal solo summer staycation to escape the crowds. The village of Youlgrave, nestled in the heart of the national park, is home to winding trails that span out in all directions, including one to an inviting natural open-air swimming spot, and others to ancient stone circle sites and a legendary rock formation known as Robin Hood's Leap. In the village itself, there are three good pubs, a small post office and a couple of deli-style shops where you can pick up hearty homity pies, homemade cakes and a great Bakewell Tart.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Fortnite Super Showdown Live Event Announced – When and How to Play
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Fortnite's latest Live Event has been announced for this weekend as Chapter 6 Season 3 reaches its final week. Live Events are story events in Fortnite that run for a very limited time. During this time, you can log into Fortnite to play an exclusive event that expounds on the plot of the current season, which right now is all about Superheroes. With Superman and Robin at the forefront alongside a host of original superhero characters, this Live Event will see them taking on a strange threat, likely unleashed by the villain of this season, Daigo – another original Fortnite character. As for what you'll get to do in the event remains to be seen, but these frequently have unique game mechanics to offer. Superman hovering over a battlefield littered with superheroes looking up at something shadowing over them from off-screen. Superman hovering over a battlefield littered with superheroes looking up at something shadowing over them from off-screen. Epic Games The event is set to start on August 2, 2025 at 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT/7:30pm BST. To join in with this event, all you need to do is log into Fortnite and join the game shortly before the start time. Entry for the event is set to start at 2pm ET/11am PT/7pm BST, so you'll have plenty of time to get a spot to experience the event first-hand. These events normally make big changes to the Fortnite map, which is why it's interesting that this season still has one week left following the event, as the season is scheduled to end on August 7. Whether this turns out to just be part one of a two-part event or something special will occur remains to be seen, but if you want to find out, you'll have to be there.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Matthew Lawrence wants to use AI for 'something special' with Robin Williams' voice
Matthew Lawrence wants to use AI to do "something really special" with the late Robin Williams. The 45-year-old star played one of the comedy legend's children in Mrs Doubtfire and he is keen to get the consent of the late actor's family to work on a project using the voice of Robin, who took his own life in 2014. Matthew told Entertainment Weekly: 'Obviously, with the respect and with the okay from his family, I would love to do something really special with his voice, because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic. 'It's not just the fact that I knew him and worked with him. "It's in my head, it's in everybody's head, and it would be so cool." Matthew got the idea of using AI to recreate Robin's voice after he saw an old commercial starring the Good Will Hunting star which made him realise there were parallels to the modern day. He explained: 'It's kinda like this very contemporary, modern, almost sort of foreshadowing of what's going on commercial that he did, where he did this computerised voiceover. 'And it always stuck with me. And then, during his passing, with the AI coming out, I'm like, 'Man, he's gotta be the voice of AI. He's gotta be the voice in something.' So yeah, I would love to do that.' One thing Matthew would love to use AI to do with Robin's voice is to give out driving directions on a phone. He said: 'It would be so cool. I'm telling you." The former Boy Meets World actor previously praised Robin for the way he treated him like an adult when they made Mrs. Doubtfire. He told People magazine: "He really opened up. I was only 12. I mean this guy … Man, he was just so amazing to be able to give me the respect, almost as an adult, at 12 years old, to really get an open look into his life, the performer side and then also the private side, and how they wrestled with each other." And even after filming on the 1993 movie was complete, Robin made sure he stayed in touch with his young co-star and offered him advice when he needed it. Matthew said: "He stayed a part of my life, you know? That movie could have wrapped [and] like everybody else, he could have gone his separate way, but he didn't. "He stayed invested, and he gave me some incredible life lessons that definitely kept me from some dark places at times. And I'll just never be able to thank him enough for that."
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Matthew Lawrence Wants To Revive Robin Williams With AI
AI is used for lots of purposes these days — and if he could, Matthew Lawrence would "love" to use it to resurrect his Mrs. Doubtfire co-star Robin Williams. Matthew made the revelation in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said he thinks Robin's "voice is just so iconic" and that using AI could provide a way to "do something really special" with it. He said, "I would love — now, obviously, with the respect and with the okay from his family — but I would love to do something really special with his voice because I know for a generation, that voice is just so iconic." He insisted he's not the only one who thinks so, either. "It's in everybody's head," he shared. "And it would be so cool." Apparently, Matthew got the idea from one of Robin's old commercials before the actor's 2014 death, which saw him speaking in a "computerized voiceover." "And it always stuck with me," Matthew shared. "And then, during his passing, with the AI coming out, I'm like, 'Man, he's gotta be the voice of A.I. He's gotta be the voice in something.' So yeah, I would love to do that." "Fuck no," one reader tweeted in response. "This feels incredibly disrespectful." "I doubt his family wants that," another said. "And no AI can replicate Robin Williams." "Absolutely not," someone else agreed. Other people pointed out that it couldn't happen anyway — at least not for a while, as Robin reportedly has a trust that strictly prohibits using his voice or likeness for 25 years. "That doesn't honor him," a fourth person wrote. "that disrespects him and his memory especially when he was against that." Another person took a difference stance, saying that they would be "okay with this if Robin's family is." I love Robin Williams, too, but I personally think we should leave people alone, especially if that's what they wanted! Tell me what you think in the comments.
