Leonardo DiCaprio Says It Was ‘An Honor’ To Work With Luke Perry In Final Film ‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’
Luke Perry’s three-decade career in film and TV will end with a role in one of the buzziest movies of the year. The Riverdale and Beverly Hills, 90210 star died Monday at age 52, five days after suffering a stroke, leaving behind an enormous body of work that includes an incredible posthumous role in a highly anticipated movie by a film mastermind.
While Luke Perry is best known for his work in teen-themed TV dramas, the actor’s final and posthumous role will be in the long-awaited Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film, set in a Los Angeles neighborhood in 1969 just before actress Sharon Tate and other residents died at the hands of the Charles Manson family, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as a Western TV star and his stunt double. The film features a star-studded cast that includes Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, and, thankfully, Luke Perry.
Luke Perry was cast as a character named Scott Lancer in the film and he wrapped filming before his death, according to Entertainment Weekly. While no details of Perry’s role have been released, it should be noted that Scott Lancer is the name of a character portrayed by Wayne Maunder in the classic Western series Lancer, which ran on CBS from 1968 to 1970. Many movie fans think Tarantino may have used the name of Perry’s character as a nod to Western shows of that era, but whatever the case, the Once Upon a Time In Hollywood role will now become one of Luke Perry’s most memorable roles.
LUKE PERRY'S final role will be in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD from QUENTIN TARANTINO:https://t.co/lQEYxIhOdb pic.twitter.com/cSCCciELCY
— ComicBook NOW! (@ComicBookNOW) March 4, 2019
After Luke Perry’s shocking death was announced. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio posted a tribute to him on Twitter. DiCaprio wrote that it was an “honor” to work with Perry on the film and he recalled the late actor as a kind and talented artist. You can see the touching tweet below.
Luke Perry was a kindhearted and incredibly talented artist. It was an honor to be able to work with him. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones.
— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) March 4, 2019
Sadly, Luke Perry is not the only star from Once Upon a Time In Hollywood to pass away during the production of the movie. In September, Burt Reynolds, who had been cast as the Manson family’s landlord, rancher George Spahn, in the film, died suddenly at age 82. Unfortunately, Reynolds’ death occurred before he had started any filming for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, so his role in the movie was recast with his friend Bruce Dern.
For Luke Perry fans, the actor’s posthumous role will be a gift when the film is released later this year.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is set to be released on July 26.