Bill Paxton Honored In Twisters With Son’s Perfect Cameo

According to the statement Bill Paxton’s son shared with Variety on the eve of Twisters release, he was too young to form lasting memories, but some cool photos from the original Twister set remain. For those who haven’t seen one of the coolest movies ever, Bill Paxton co-starred in the original movie with actress Helen Hunt, with both of them portraying a couple on the brink of divorce, developing an advanced weather alert system, which puts them in the cross-hairs of some of the most violent tornadoes.

Privately, however, Bill Paxton was a new dad on the Twister set, with young James being only a year old.

James Paxton’s appearance in Twisters comes amid a trio of tributes to Bill Paxton. One of the actors in the movie is Malcolm McDowell in Last Train to Fortune, which was supposed to star Bill Paxton while the movie was in development. Additionally, he’s also releasing Count on Me, his first solo track, with the accompanying music video that features footage of the Paxton family from a road trip Bill Paxton took with friends in the 70s. And then, there’s his own cameo appearance in Twisters.

Paxton also shared that his appearance in Twisters is his way of connecting to his dad and keeping his memory alive, revealing that Bill Paxton was more than just a father to him—he was also his hero and his mentor. Bill Paxton’s son went on to explain his audition for Twisters, which took place immediately after COVID, where most auditions were taped by the actors and sent in. He eventually got the part that allows him to pay homage to his father with a cameo appearance that channels his father’s spirit.

James Paxton also shared that he’s a fan of the original, which isn’t all that surprising because who isn’t? The original Bill Paxton’s Twister is one of those timeless classics that offer sheer exhilaration complemented by an underlying romantic narrative between the leads.

The original movie was released in 1996 to positive reviews from the critics and was a financial success—it earned nearly $496 million on a budget of $88-92 million, which wasn’t really that modest at the time. Still, it not only managed to recuperate its budget, but it also turned a pretty penny. Bill Paxton had one of his biggest hits with Twister, but through early tracking, it looks like Twisters is on pace to match its performance.

Not only that, but the original movie won 11 different awards among 17 total nominations. The sequel to Bill Paxton’s Twister, Twisters stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos as storm-chasing adventurers who are trying to implement new weather-tracking technologies. Helen Hunt, who co-starred in the original movie, was also associated with Twisters at one point, but her involvement was later rejected by the studio.

The movie is scheduled to be released internationally by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 17 and in the US by Universal Pictures on July 19.

Source: Variety