Jai Courtney Reflects on and Remembers Andy Whitfield
Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story is the journey that the Spartacus star took in the aftermath of his cancer diagnosis. The documentary hopes to inspire others with a tale detailing Whitfield's courageous battle.
Collider spoke with actor Jai Courtney, who worked with Whitfield on Spartacus, and the two became good friends through the Starz series. The Suicide Squad star reflected on the finished documentary, which he had by then seen.
"I was close with Andy. We were really good mates and I was around through a lot of that period, but somewhat guiltily and also necessarily, there was an ability to escape that situation. I could be around and be supportive and help out, if that was good to do, but I also have my own life going on and you can’t commit all of your time, nor is it helpful to do so.
"So, watching the film, some of that struggle really hadn’t hit home for me until I watched it in documented form. Whilst I wasn’t absent of the gravity of the situation, it still was incredibly hard. When you have a sick friend, you might see them on a good day because that’s when they feel like seeing people, so you pop by and spend some time and hang out a bit.
"Even if you’re a close friend, some of the rawer moments I definitely wasn’t privy to, at the time. I was encouraged by his spirit and the generosity of his time and space that he showed by allowing the cameras to be there the whole time."
On how Whitfield set the mood and tone on the set of Spartacus, Courtney described him as a "lovely, generous, funny, handsome, humble, committed actor."
"He didn’t come from a world where that was always what he wanted to do. He grew into that through exploring some insecurities within himself. Some modeling stuff came along, which opened up doors to this other industry.
"Acting was an evolution for him. It can be a really healthy thing when someone steps onto a set without any entitlement or expectations. He felt lucky to be there, and he was going to make the most of it. I think that attitude is infectious. It’s great when people adopt that and can be around that because it just spreads a wholesome message."
Source: Collider
