It's hard to believe, but it's been nearly three years since Star Trek's Anton Yelchin suddenly died outside his Hollywood home. In fact, tomorrow marks the three-year anniversary of his untimely death. Yelchin is the subject of a new documentary Love, Antosha, with plenty of his co-workers and friends reflecting on the young actor's life and myriad talents.
Chris Pine recently reflected on Anton Yelchin's work ethic, especially as he was silently hiding the pains of cystic fibrosis on set. Pine was one of many Hollywood to get on camera for Love, Antosha. Twilight actress Kristen Stewart also spoke to her relationship with Yelchin, and the way he pushed her to improve. She said:
He kind of broke my heart. I was so kind of baffled by how good he was. I wanted to be better, smarter, cooler, but couldn’t even hang with him.
Anton Yelchin seemed to inspire and challenge the people he came into contact with during his 27 year-long life. This includes Kristen Stewart, who admits to a deep connection with her Fierce People costar.
While his life was cut short, Anton Yelchin clearly left an impact on the people he came into contact with. Kristen Stewart as one of the many household names to have been affected by Yelchin's life an death, something she was generous enough to share with the world in Love, Antosha. Stewart is appearing in the new documentary alongside names like J.J. Abrams, Zachary Quinto, Jodie Foster, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Willem Dafoe.
Plenty of Anton Yelchin's Star Trek co-stars appear in the documentary, which looks like a thoroughly emotional experience. This includes John Cho, who starred alongside the actor as Sulu in all three blockbusters. Footage from Love, Antosha has been slowly revealed, including a segment (Via ET) where Cho speaks to Yelchin's character, and how that was reflected in the late actor's photography. He said:
I see his eye and I can feel the way that he looked at people, which was with openness and without judgment and was curious about all thought and all kinds of humanity. He affected so many people. It was like, how did he pierce so many hearts? How did he get to so many people so thoroughly? It's unfathomable how he did that in his young life.
In addition to his onscreen roles, Anton Yelchin was a bit of a renaissance man. He played guitar, specifically blues. He was also a talented photographer, with his work being displayed posthumously at a New York gallery in 2018. John Cho was clearly a fan of Yelchin's photography, and how his late co-worker was able to get his subjects to open up and be vulnerable.
Looking at the huge cast of names involved in Love, Antosha, and John Cho's comments do make a great deal of sense. Anton Yelchin pierced the heart of each person seen in the documentary, with plenty of Hollywood's stars taking time out of their schedule to speak to Yelchin's character on camera.
As previously mentioned, Chris Pine recently spoke what it was like working with Anton Yelchin throughout the Star Trek trilogy. The late actor silently suffered from cystic fibrosis during his life, but didn't ask for any accommodations when working on grueling shoots. As Captain Kirk himself put it:
While we were shooting [Star Trek Beyond], especially towards the end, I think we could all tell that something wasn’t right with Anton. I don’t think anyone knew that he was battling the illness that he was. We had about a week of doing a pretty intense stunt, like a really grueling, physically demanding stunt. I haven’t actually thought about it until now, but looking back on it, I remember how hard it was for him to get through it. And he never complained. He didn’t use [the disease] to get out of this fight scene, which he could easily have done, obviously.
On top of his spirit and talent, Anton Yelchin was able to connect with people through his work ethic, and impress the myriad big name he worked with throughout his film career. Yelchin released a number of films posthumously, starting with Star Trek Beyond. Four other movies arrived after his death, with Love, Antosha adding another credit to his filmography. And one that is far more personal than anything else before it.
You can check out the trailer for Love, Antosha below.
The documentary looks like it's going to be a super emotional viewing experience. Love, Antosha made its debut at Sundance Film Festival back in January of 2019, and fared well with early critics. But average moviegoers will have to wait another few months to see it themselves. But with more emotional testimonies arriving from the people who knew and loved the late actor, anticipation for the doc's release should only continue to grow.
Anton Yelchin died June 19th 2016 in Studio City, California. The 27 year-old actress was the victim of a freak automobile accident, and was pinned between his Jeep Grand Cherokee and a brick pillar outside his house after the car rolled down his driveway. It was a turn of events that shocked his fans and loved ones, especially as his career was continuing to move upward. The timing was also sobering, as he died just a month before Star Trek Beyond arrived in theaters.
This loss was a shadow over the Star Trek threequel's release, as the cast and crew paid tribute to Anton Yelchin while promoting the blockbuster. The young actor's untimely death has also been a motivator for the cast to create a fourth movie, and continue the story in honor of their fallen crew member. But whether or not Star Trek 4 happens is a mystery at the moment.
Star Trek's future might be unclear, but Anton Yelchin is being honored through Love, Antosha. Yelchin's parents helped the documentary move forward, and no doubt encouraged the massive cast to sign on and speak about their experience with the deceased young actor.
Love, Antosha is set to arrive in theaters on August 2nd, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
