LeVar Burton has fond memories of the late Carl Weathers — and many of them involve sweating it out butt naked.
Burton recalled hitting the steam room with the late Rocky actor during his speech at the ceremony honoring Weathers with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday.
“Carl and I used to meet sometimes at a Korean spa here in Koreatown just east of us, and so we spent a lot of time naked in the sauna,” the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor said. “Now, when you’re naked with somebody, there’s nothing to hide. No, I mean really, there’s nothing to hide. But there are two meanings to that, because there is no artifice in the sauna. And Carl had no problem being his authentic self in every single moment.”
Carl Weathers/X
Burton went on to say that Weathers’ authenticity was “probably his greatest gift and greatest talent,” adding, “I’m really glad that we have all gathered here today to celebrate such a remarkable human being.”
“He was, in fact, the embodiment of a good man,” the Reading Rainbow host said of Weathers’ exemplary character earlier in his remarks. “Now, I do not use those two words in combination lightly, but Carl deserves it. In Carl’s presence, you knew that he was focused 100 percent on you. He wasn’t looking around to see who more important came in the room, he was laser-locked on this now-moment with you.”
Burton also reflected on Weathers’ status as “an icon, a legend,” arguing that the actor’s self-awareness helped contribute to his commanding bravado on- and off-screen.
“Apollo Creed will go down in history as one of the most popular figures in entertainment history, and that is due to the charisma and talent of Carl Weathers,” he said. “When you met Carl, you knew you were in the presence of somebody special because Carl knew how special he was. And he didn’t have to tell you about himself, it exuded out of every pore of that man’s being. He was indeed a good, good man, who would take the time and give of himself the best thing he had to offer, which was simply his attention, himself.”
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Burton ended his speech by invoking one of Weathers’ mantras: “‘Be peace’ was Carl’s motto in his later years and I know he would want to encourage us all to live that motto as best as we are able. Y’all, be peace.”
Weathers died Feb. 2 at age 76, prompting an outpouring of love and appreciation for the late actor from his former costars.
“He was a hero from my childhood who I was lucky enough to meet and then had the amazing good fortune to work with,” wrote Jon Favreau, who worked with the actor on The Mandalorian. “He had the energy and curiosity of a young man paired with the wisdom that his rich life and career afforded him.”
Giancarlo Esposito, who also performed alongside Weathers on The Mandalorian, wrote, “You are truly one of the most wonderful human beings I have had the honor and pleasure of spending time with! I am grateful for your influence and support of all things good in my life.”
Later, Adam Sandler, who acted with Weathers in Happy Gilmore, wrote, “Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him.”
And Sylvester Stallone, who launched to stardom alongside Weathers over several collaborations in the Rocky series, made a poignant video honoring the actor.
“I give him incredible credit and kudos because when he walked into that room and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness, but I didn’t realize how great,” Stallone said. “I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely brilliant: his voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul.”
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