The director of the new tech drama "The Circle," starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, remembered actor Bill Paxton at the film's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday.

Paxton, who played Watson's father, had a small role in the movie, his last before his death at 61 after heart surgery in February.

Director James Ponsoldt called the late actor "endlessly generous," Variety reported.

“Bill was amazing,” Ponsoldt said.

“He was one of my favorite actors for the longest time, going back to when I was a kid.”

Ponsoldt said he had been looking forward to making more films with Paxton, who had also directed several movies during his career.

“I was excited to make more films with him. I was excited for him to make more films as an actor and a director.”

"The Circle" opens in theaters on Friday.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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