Like everyone, I was shocked and saddened by the death of actor Paul Walker on the weekend. He was just 40. He was killed in a car crash after leaving a charity event he had organized to raise money for Philippine typhoon relief.
Walker was a passenger in a Porsche Carrera that police say was going too fast, lost control and hit a post, burst into flames and trapped both men inside. There are loads of photos of Walker posing with fans just before he left the event. And, sadly, there’s video and photos of the mangled wreck, too.
Walker was in the midst of filming the seventh Fast and Furious movie. I’m pretty sure I’ve only seen the first one but it’s a hugely successful franchise. And I’ve always mentioned Walker on any best-looking-actor list or what have you. He was a very attractive man and by all accounts, as nice on the inside as he was on the exterior.
In 2003 he attempted to break away from the Fast and Furious typecasting, or perhaps capitalize on its success, and starred in a time-travel movie called Timeline. Although it’s not an actual genre like romantic comedies and dramas, I’d put time-travel films near the top of my favourites. When they’re done well, they’re captivating and I loved Timeline. In it, Billy Connolly plays an archaeology professor who successfully time travels, only he’s stuck there and he can’t come back. So his students, led by his son (Walker) follow to try to save him. They end up in 14th century France where nothing is familiar and the country is at war. The film also stars a then-unknown Gerard Butler.
As soon as I saw it for the first time, I immediately purchased Timeline on DVD and I’ve loaned it out many times over the years to people who have enjoyed Walker in Fast and Furious but didn’t know about this film. It has loads of action, romance and some funny moments as people from the future attempt to get past slang and idioms and communicate with those from the distant past. It’s in my top 10 of all-time favourite films.
Everyone – even actors – has more depth than they get credit for. Walker is going to be remembered by most people as “that guy from Fast and Furious”. His 15-year-old daughter will just remember him as Dad. He owned businesses and had employees and did loads of things to help the less fortunate, including the Philippine fundraiser the night he died. But I’ll remember him as the star of one of my all-time favourite films, Timeline.