Actor Glen Powell paid tribute to late actor and friend Bill Paxton on the opening day of the film Twisters.
Powell stars as famous internet "tornado wrangler" Tyler Owens in the new disaster film, which is a standalone sequel to the 1996 Twister movie that starred Paxton, who also played a former storm chaser.
In addition to Twister, Paxton was known for his work in Apollo 13 (1995) Titanic (1997), the HBO TV series Big Love, and the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
He died on February 25, 2017, at the age of 61 due to a stroke, days after undergoing surgical procedures to replace a heart valve and repair aorta damage.
While Twisters debuted to positive reviews and he and his co-stars were caught up in a premiere press storm, Powell paused to celebrate the film's opening by honoring a "great friend" with a throwback photo of them wearing cowboy hats on the set of a western film they did together.
The 35-year-old Anyone but You actor wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"As we release Twisters into the world today, I just wanted to look up and tip my hat to the legend that is Bill Paxton."
"A great friend of mine who saw poetry in the natural world. His boots are impossible to fill, but this life is all about chasing the greats."
The caption was accompanied by a pair of repeating heart and tornado emojis.
Powell and Paxton's friendship originates back to when they co-starred together in the 2013 film Red Wing, a Western film based on George Sand's French novel, François le Champi.
Powell touched on their kinship during a July 17 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
He told the titular host that he and Paxton became "really, really close" working on Red Wing, which was mostly shot in Whitewright, Texas.
He continued:
"He was so passionate about the weather. He would give, like, weather reports before, when he was doing ‘Twister.’”
“And he continued that tradition," said Powell, adding that when he was prepared to shoot 2016's Hidden Figures, Paxton shared a lot of his research about space which he developed a passion for after filming Apollo 13.
Powell also shared how he continues employing an acting trick Paxton taught him on the set of Red Wing.
He explained:
“As an actor, sometimes you have to shoot outdoors, and you’re kind of squinting and whatnot."
"He taught me this trick that if you close your eyes and you look up at the sun, it warms your eyes up to the sun, and you can open your eyes.“
"I used that trick my entire career since meeting Bill."
"And on ‘Twisters,’ I really felt like every time I closed my eyes, I got to think of Bill, which was great."
You can watch the segment from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, here.
"He's A Hollywood Dog" - Glen Powell Adopted His Dog Brisket While Shootingyoutu.be
Fans joined Powell in remembering Paxton and his Twister legacy.
Fans also admired Powell for picking up the mantle with leading man class and aplomb.
In the new film, Paxton's legacy lives on with his 30-year-old son, James Paxton, who makes a brief cameo honoring his father's role in the original film.
The Hollywood scion who also guest-starred on ABC's Marvel's Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. as an "alternate version" of John Garrett, a character formerly played by his famous dad, told Entertainment Weekly of his Twisters cameo:
"It's an Easter egg for the fans of Dad and the original."
"I did this one for Dad."
He added:
"I wanted to be a conduit for his spirit there and cheer everyone in this production on to success because I know he would be."
"I wanted to do something that really honors his presence in this new chapter and really do something for him."
Twisters was directed by Lee Isaac Chung from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, based on a story by Joseph Kosinski.
The cast includes Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, and Sasha Lane.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the critic's consensus reads:
"Summoning a storm of spectacle and carried along by the gale force winds of Glen Powell's charisma, Twisters' forecast is splendid with a high chance of thrills."
Twisters premiered in London on July 8, released internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures. For the US, Universal Pictures released the film domestically on July 19.
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