Why ‘Call Me By Your Name’ Is Dedicated to Bill Paxton

It’s likely you’ve seen Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 coming-of-age gay romance starring a young Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer. But eagle-eyed viewers may wonder why the film was dedicated to beloved actor Bill Paxton, who is nowhere to be found in the film’s star-studded cast.

Paxton was known for his star turns in box-office hits like Aliens, Apollo 13, Twister, Titanic and Nightcrawler. He was well-known as the protagonist of HBO’s Mormon-focused drama Big Love, which featured him as the patriarch of a family with multiple wives. He also won an Emmy for his role as Randall McCoy in the History Channel’s 2012 blockbuster hit series Hatfields & McCoys.

In early 2017, he went on the popular podcast WTF with Marc Maron and revealed he had a damaged aortic heart valve. He had open heart surgery on Feb. 14, 2017, but complications from the initial surgery required a second surgery the next day to repair a damaged artery. He died 10 days later.

Before his death, Paxton made a final visit to see his best friend and career-long agent Brian Swardstrom, who is married to character actor Peter Spears. (Swardstrom is also Chalamet’s agent.) In Call Me By You Name, Spears plays Isaac, who fans will remember as one half of the gay couple that Chalamet’s character Elio jokingly refers to as “Sonny and Cher.”

From L to R @brianswardstrom #billpaxton me @armiehammer #lucaguadagnino @RealChalamet Call Me By Your Name, Crema Italy pic.twitter.com/MJxfjai1C6

— Peter Spears (@pjspears) February 27, 2017

During filming, Paxton visited the CMBYN set and became fast friends with the entire cast— especially director Luca Guadagnino. Spears later said “they had been great admirers of each other’s work for many years,” and upon hearing of Paxton’s death, Guadagnino decided to “honor [Paxton’s] memory by dedicating the movie to him.”

Indeed, the movie’s credits say “In Loving Memory of Bill Paxton.” His fast friendship with the cast and crew of a movie he wasn’t even in is yet another reason why he was one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood.

How Chloë Sevigny Paid Tribute to Bill Paxton After His Death

Paxton’s Big Love co-star Chloe Sevigny paid tribute after his death in an Entertainment Weekly interview and described him as “so jovial,” saying he was “one of the less cynical, jaded people [she’d] ever met in the business.”

She said, “Like, how did he keep up this boyish enthusiasm and charm for so long?”