Morris Chestnut paid tribute to his late “The Resident” co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner three months after he drowned in Costa Rica.
The actor, who appeared opposite Warner on two seasons of “The Resident,” broached the topic of “The Cosby Show” alum’s death in a new interview, where he lauded the late star as “such a good dude.”
“Had these great scenes with Malcolm-Jamal Warner. I just still can’t believe that Malcolm’s no longer here,” Chestnut told People for their “Co-Star Album” video. “I remember this scene. Our characters didn’t like each other. He was very protective of everybody on the show and that’s kind of how he was.”
As Chestnut went on, he credited Warner’s portrayal of Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” for inspiring his interest in acting.
He added: “I hadn’t decided to act at that time, but that probably was one of the first times I was like, ‘Wow, that’s kind of cool. This dude’s an actor on TV, we kind of look alike.’”
Per Chestnut, he and Warner even discussed his favorite “The Cosby Show” episode while filming “The Resident.”
“When I first came to that cast, he was like, ‘Hey, let’s go grab a bite to eat.’ So we went out to dinner,” Chestnut shared of Warner’s kindness. “Just an incredible dude. I hate what happened to him. Rest in peace.”
Warner — who appeared on six seasons of “The Resident” as Dr. AJ Austin — died back in July after drowning in the ocean after being caught in a strong current in Costa Rica. He was 54 years old.
Watch Chestnut’s full People interview above.
