Director Jeremy Saulnier paid tribute to Patrick Stewart at a screening of Green Room. He credited the actor with helping get the 2015 film made, according to Deadline.
Stewart died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles at age 86, Variety reported. The English actor played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films. Variety reported that a statement on his Instagram account said he died after a brief battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
A post embedded in Deadline's report said Saulnier introduced a 10th anniversary screening of the movie at Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles. According to the post, he took a break from editing Slayground to attend.
Saulnier told the audience that the A24 film had reached a critical point because no one had been cast as skinhead leader Darcy Banker, Deadline reported. He said production was close to shutting down. Stewart then expressed interest in the project, and about a week later the two spoke by phone. Saulnier said the film was greenlit right away after Stewart agreed to take the part.
Saulnier also called Stewart the reason he is still able to make movies, according to Deadline. He recalled that Stewart asked on set to add a one-word expletive to a scene, and that Saulnier approved. Saulnier asked the audience to cheer loudly when that moment arrived. He added a message he said Stewart would want him to make clear: "Whatever you do, don't root for the Nazis," Deadline reported. The audience applauded.
According to LADbible, the statement on Stewart's Instagram said he died in the care of his wife, Sunny. Variety reported that his final movie role will be in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which marks his ninth time playing Charles Xavier on the big screen.
Sources: Deadline · Variety · LADbible
