During a recent interview with PEOPLE, Morris Chestnut reflected on working with Malcolm-Jamal Warner on the medical drama series, The Resident, and how the deceased actor’s role in The Cosby Show “resonated” with him the most.
Chestnut, who played neurosurgeon Barrett Cain in The Resident, said that he “still can’t believe that Malcolm’s no longer here.” Warner played Dr. AJ Austin in the medical drama series.
“He was such a good dude,” the 56-year-old said before talking about a picture of the two of them on set. “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.”
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Chestnut also touched on The Cosby Show and how he resonated with Warner’s character, though he had not ventured into acting at the time. Warner played Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show.
“I can see myself, as an actor, in his character,” Chestnut said. “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.’ Matter of fact, he had one of my favorite episodes on The Cosby Show with Gordon Gartrell shirt, that’s just one of my favorite all-time episodes.”
Chestnut said that he and Warner even had a conversation about that particular episode while they were on set for The Resident.
“He was telling me a couple stories about working in New York. 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 recalled. “[He was] just an incredible dude. I hate what happened to him. Rest in peace.”
READ ALSO: Police say Malcolm-Jamal Warner wasn’t in water with daughter when he drowned
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Warner accidentally drowned after he was dragged by a water current at Playa Grande in Limon, Costa Rica, on July 20. Warner, 54, underwent an autopsy, and his cause of death was ruled as accidental asphyxiation by submersion. Initial reports stated that he was vacationing in Costa Rica with his family at the time of the fatal accident.
During an interview on Good Morning America, Warner’s mother, Pamela Warner, told co-anchor Robin Roberts that she screamed “from the bottom” of her “soul” when she learned about her son’s death, ABC7 New York reported.
“What came up and what came out was huge,” she said. “It was an indescribable pain that resonated through my body.”
“That was his time,” she said about her son’s death. “That was the manner in which he was to transition, and this is what I believe and what I feel.”
Despite losing her son, Pamela Warner expressed her gratitude for being “chosen” to be Warner’s mother. “I think more than anything, I’m at peace with everything that happened. There was nothing left on the table,” she said.
“There was no shoulda, coulda woulda. I wish I would have said this, I wish I would have done this,” she added. “I don’t have that. I feel that our journey together as mother and son was complete.”
The deceased 54-year-old is survived by his wife, Tenisha Warner, and daughter.
READ ALSO: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s wife reveals her identity as she opens up about his death
