Above all, it's Paul Walker's heart that "Fast & Furious" actor and friend Sung Kang will remember most about his co-star.
While so many Hollywood relationships are more cordial than personal, that was never the case with Walker, Kang said in an interview Wednesday.
"The more projects you do, the more actors you meet, the more people you meet, it's harder and harder to give your heart and your complete attention or absolute sincerity to that person," said Kang, 41, of Los Angeles. "But with Paul, every memory I have with him, even when we were on set, on location or having dinner...he made sure that every time he had a minute with you, he was going to give 100 percent of his heart. He was going to try his best."
Kang called Saturday's fiery solo-car crash in Valencia that killed Walker and his friend and business partner Roger Rodas something that's like "out of a Hollywood remake."
"It's something we don't need to repeat," he said. "People try to make it cool and all that, but there's nothing cool about dying. It doesn't matter how you die. It all sucks. It's all the same."
Kang played the role of Han, a member of the street racing gang, in several installments of the franchise. Regarding the news Wednesday that Universal Pictures is shutting down production of "Fast & Furious 7" indefinitely due to Walker's death, Kang said it was hard to think about that now.
"I actually don't care," he said. "It doesn't matter. It's just a movie. Some people say out of respect for Paul, you've got to finish it (but) what are they going to do? Bury him in the movie? There's nothing positive about it."
Kang has fond memories of spending Thanksgiving dinner last year with Walker and a few other people while they were filming "Fast & Furious 6" in London. Walker went out and found a restaurant that offered turkey, he said, so they could enjoy a real holiday meal together.
Even though Walker, who co-founded the nonprofit disaster relief organization Reach Out Worldwide, was "in the world of Hollywood and the world of celebrity where everything is given to you, he understood that relationships are always earned and he always invested" in them, Kang said.
In fact, Walker was the kind of guy who would show up on set, give everybody a hug and know everyone's name. If someone was doing a tough scene, he was there rooting you on, he said.
And when Kang was cast on a Fox television show not long ago, Walker called to congratulate him and told him how excited he was for his friend.
"He would say, 'I have your pompoms out for you, I'm cheering for you, brother,'" Kang said. "How strong and beautiful does a person's heart have to be for him to do something like that? It's rare."
Kang said he spent Tuesday with Walker's family and was amazed at how they, even in their grief, were trying to cheer those around them up. Paul Walker Sr. said that his son taught him to be a better father and wouldn't want him to cry and make everyone sad, Kang said. If Walker could be there he would be embarrassed by all the attention, his father said. Walker's mother and siblings were also very supportive and encouraging, he said.
"They are so giving; everybody was so giving," he said. "Maybe that's what we can learn from Paul. We can keep giving."
The tremendous outpouring of support over Walker's death has surprised him, he said.
"He represented something, maybe it's idealism. Maybe it's part of the Hollywood magic because he was also a movie star," Kang said. "Sometimes idealism and all that make believe makes the world a better place." ___
(c)2013 the Daily News (Los Angeles)
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Distributed by MCT Information Services
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