He was “Luke f—ing Perry,” as Brad Pitt puts it.

Before Luke Perry died in March, a week after suffering a massive stroke, the 52-year-old actor took part in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, a TV star whose career is dwindling, and Pitt as his stunt double, Cliff Booth. As for Perry, he portrayed Scott Lancer, an actor in one of the shows Rick stars in. As one of the film’s producers, David Heyman, previously told EW, “[Perry] brings a very vivid character who is charismatic, and he brings heart to whatever he does. I think that it will be a pleasure for those fans of Luke to see.”

In a new interview with Esquire, DiCaprio and Pitt reflect on working with the late actor. “I remember my friend Vinny, who is in the film as well, we walked in and we both had this butterfly moment of like, ‘Oh my God, that’s Luke Perry over there,’” says DiCaprio, who also paid tribute to Perry on social media after his death.

Pitt adds, “‘That’s Luke f—ing Perry!’ We were like kids in the candy shop because I remember going to the studios and [Beverly Hills, 90210] was going on and he was that icon of coolness for us as teenagers. It was this strange burst of excitement that I had, to be able to act with him. Man, he was so incredibly humble and amazing and absolutely committed. He couldn’t have been a more friendly, wonderful guy to spend time with. I got to sit down and have some wonderful conversations with him. It was really special.”

Read their full Esquire interview here. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood hits theaters July 26.

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