Daniel Gillies Instagram – I was introduced to Seymour around 2006 through my buddy Christophe Lanzenberg. Seymour had recently broken a very long spell of sobriety at the time because — ‘Fuck it, who am I holdin’ out for…?!’ He was gnawing at a cigar, relentlessly flirting with everybody’s wife and unleashing anecdote after bawdy anecdote. Before long, we got talking. I’d recently watched everything Cassavetes, so it was difficult for me to not behave reverentially towards him (a feeling that would never entirely leave me). He delighted in telling stories about John and he and Ben Gazzarra and Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands. You could tell that those moments were his fondest memories. He fucking lit up when he spoke about his place in Independent cinema at that time… it was inspiring. When I directed my first movie (Broken Kingdom) a couple of years later, Seymour was one of the first to sign on. For whatever reason, he believed in me, which I’ll never forget. In 2008, making a bi-lingual film centered around a dark-skinned girl from the ghettos of Colombia was not the easiest sell. I’ll always feel indebted to him. He’s magnificent in the film, by the way. I won’t pretend it was easy… Seymour struggled with the tremendous amount of dialogue the character necessitated. Only recently did I learn about his condition with Alzheimer’s. Had I known, I would never have buried him with that kind of responsibility. That said, his performance still carries so much compassion, mischief and quiet elegance. Seymour was cartoonishly large; like an inappropriate Colonel Sanders. Surprisingly sweet and unapologetically filthy. I loved him. I’m going to miss him.