A day after the body of actor Andrew Koenig was discovered in Vancouver, Hollywood is beginning to deal with the reality of losing one of its own. One person who has been closely watching the details of Koenig's disappearance and apparent suicide is Miller Uwanawich, producer of the upcoming film that will mark Koenig's final onscreen role.
"Sad," is how the filmmaker described himself when asked about the "Growing Pains" star who shot "DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) - NonSenSE" with him in mid-2008. "If I have to explain [my feelings] in one word, sad. I don't know what else to say; I'm shocked, sad, surprised."
Currently in post-production, "DaZe" has already gained a good deal of attention because of another of its stars, "Twilight" breakout Jackson Rathbone. A somewhat experimental, trippy independent film consisting of three parts, the cast also includes such notables as Gary Busey, Bubba Smith and Danny Cooksey.
"From what I understand, it was his last project," Uwanawich said of Koenig. "My partner and I cast him; we're younger, we're in our thirties, and it was a project of art and love vs. money and greed, so it was a fun project. We cast Andrew because we were fans of 'Growing Pains,' we were fans of his character. Our makeup artists, they all lived in the same building as Andrew, and we ended up being friends."
Playing the part of "Vice Chancellor," Koenig appears opposite Busey. "His character is a silly character," Uwanawich explained. "Gary is pitching these crazy products, he's a struggling businessman. Andrew happened to be one of the investors that he's trying to pitch this project to, this gravity power device of some sort."
"It's one of the best scenes of the movie," Uwanawich added, saying that the largely improvised scene often gets singled out by those who've caught advance screenings of "DaZe" as one of the film's highlights. "Gary had no chance [to keep up]; Andrew took the scene over."
As details continue to emerge about Koenig's depression, mental state prior to disappearing and suicide, Uwanawich finds himself thinking back to the shoot. But he can't recall any signs that the '80s TV star was unhappy.
"I can't tell you how shocked I am," he said. "He was just a nice individual, we had some nice conversations, it came as a complete shock to me. We had a great time on set, laughing and joking. Everyone was happy. We were all at dinner [after the shoot]; the director, myself, Andrew, the makeup artist. We all had a few cocktails, and he seemed like a very nice, happy, fulfilled person."
As for "DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) - NonSenSE," Uwanawich revealed that Koenig did not share any scenes with Rathbone, and that the film is currently receiving some CG-heavy effects while eyeing a late-2010 theatrical release.
"When people see his performance, they're gonna smile and laugh," Uwanawich promised. "It's like Andrew was in the '80s; he brings this lovable character out. It was awesome."
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