Entertainment Movies Action Movies Bill Paxton's Son James Did Twisters Cameo Because 'I Wanted to Be a Conduit for His Spirit' on Set "It's an Easter egg for the fans of Dad and the original. I did this one for Dad," said James Paxton By Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose is an Associate Editor on the Movies team at PEOPLE. He has written about entertainment and breaking news for over five years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 12, 2024 11:32AM EDT Close James and Bill Paxton. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty, Wb/Universal/Amblin/Kobal/Shutterstock Bill Paxton's son James makes a brief appearance in Twisters as a way to honor his late father, 28 years after the original Twister. "It's really a cameo, so it's an Easter egg for the fans of Dad and the original. I did this one for Dad," James, who plays a motel guest in a tornado scene, told Entertainment Weekly. The singer-actor, 30, said "given the context of my dad and his significance in the original and him not being here," participating in the new film was "an emotional thing." Paxton, who shared kids James and Lydia with wife Louise, died in February 2017 at age 61. "I wanted to be a conduit for his spirit there and cheer everyone in this production on to success, because I know he would be," James told EW. "I wanted to do something that really honors his presence in this new chapter and really do something for him." James Paxton Dove Into Music as a Coping Mechanism After Dad Bill Died. He's Ready for the World to Hear It (Exclusive) Twister. Amblin/Universal/Warners/Kobal/Shutterstock Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "And I realized there's a lot of amazing people involved in this that I would love to get to know," he continued. "So it ended up feeling like the right thing to do, to be representative of Dad there." James, who debuted his first single "Count On Me" on July 12, said his dad "was my best friend, and so I never shy away from talking about him and celebrating him." He also stars alongside Malcolm McDowell in Last Train to Fortune, filling a role that was originally meant for his father. "I feel him all the time," said James of Paxton, adding, "I kind of had a moment on the Twisters set where I walked off, and I went, 'God, can you believe this?' And I was talking to myself, but also to him, in just a little private moment that I had." Paxton starred in the 1996 film Twister alongside Helen Hunt and Jami Gertz. The cast of the new film, described as a standalone sequel, includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Kiernan Shipka, Anthony Ramos and more. Twisters is in theaters July 19.