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Rob Lowe Pays Tribute To ‘Closest Friend In The Industry’ Bill Paxton

By Tito Ojo-Medubi
Published on: 21:44 PST, Feb 28, 2017

Rob Lowe paid tribute to the life and memory of his “closest friend in the industry,” Bill Paxton.

According to E Online, the West Wing actor in an essay published Tuesday talked about the resounding impact Bill Paxton made on his life. Lowe recalled that he first met Paxton in the early 90’s during the shooting of The Dark Backward. The 52-year-old actor said he was highly impressed with the daunting choices Bill made on set while filming, but one easily towered over the rest.

“In one scene Bill took such a big swing as an actor, he went for such a broad gigantic choice in the take. I’ll never forget it. It blew my mind..This guy has got huge ba**s I thought.”

The pair went on to play brothers in the Western flick, Frank & Jesse. The 1994 movie centers on the James brothers who felt shortchanged by Chicago railroad investors and turned to a life of crime. Lowe was producing and acting in the movie and had reached out to Paxton to play his brother. According to the Thank You for Smoking star, it marked the beginning of a special friendship that would span decades.

Lowe who described Paxton as a good friend revealed they consistently supported each other both in their personal and professional lives. The actor who has six Golden Globe Award nominations in his Hollywood resume confirmed that Bill Paxton always went out of his way to help him during the course of his career.

Rob recalled that when he got the part to play President John F. Kennedy in National Geographic Channel’s Killing Kennedy, he came home one day to find a note from Bill and a package that contained the exact aftershave that JFK wore. Another time, Paxton had called up Rob and told him to expect a call from James Cameron over one of his scripts that he had submitted.

[Image by Michael Kovac/Getty Images]

The 52-year-old actor said Bill was a friend he could always count on no matter the weather. The Invention of Lying actor recalled that the Terminator actor always showed up for every occasion no matter how little including his mother’s funeral, his child’s Bar Mitzvah and even his book launch party.

“Bill was the most loyal, old-school friend. The type that showed [up] for every single occasion, no matter how small– Bill would be there. Bill was not only one of my closest friends, but he was without question my closest friend in the industry.”

Lowe described the bond with the A Simple Plan actor as irreplaceable because Bill Paxton was someone he was “so simpatico with,” a rarity in their line of business.

Paxton who died of surgery complications on Saturday, February 25 kick-started his acting career with roles in Weird Science and The Terminator. According to Lowe, Paxton had doubted if he would ever hit the big-time when he clocked 40, only for him to then go on the biggest rolls an actor has ever had. In a space of six months, Paxton went on to star in Twister, Apollo 13, and Titanic. The box office success of the Titanic would remain untouched for the next decade.

Lowe, who starred alongside Fred Savage in Fox’s The Grinder from 2015 to 2016, revealed that Paxton never let his new found fame get to his head. According to Rob who played Senator Robert McCallister on Brothers & Sisters, his friend still remained the same and sent all his pals a book of sketches he had made while “going to dive the Titanic,” with James Cameron. The noble gesture was not lost on Rob Lowe, considering that Paxton was very busy as an actor.

“Bill is very old-school chivalrous, understood grace notes, the importance of a handwritten letter, the grand gesture. He was very much a man out of his time in a way.”

[Image by Chris Pizello/Invision/AP Images]

Bill Paxton starred in a sci-fi flick, Edge of Tomorrow alongside Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. He was billed to return in the sequel. Director Doug Liman in an interview with US Magazine revealed that the talented actor had been nervous about his surgery, but had assured Liman that he would be ready to reprise his role as Master Sergeant Farell.

Tributes have been pouring in for Bill Paxton who left behind his wife of 30 years, Louise and two children. Hollywood celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Bacon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, Helen Hunt, Aaron Paul, William Shatner, Elijah Wood, Bella Thorne, and Charlize Theron have all lauded the memory of the Texas native.

[Featured Image by Michael Kovac/Getty Images]

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