John Malkovich reflects on the loss of Julian Sands who he met on 'The Killing Fields': 'Greatest of friends'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Renowned actor John Malkovich has shared his heartfelt sentiments following the tragic death of his dear friend, Julian Sands. The 65-year-old star of 'A Room with a View' went missing while hiking in the Mount Baldy area of California's San Gabriel Mountains in January. After an extensive search, Sands' remains were discovered by fellow hikers around five months later, on June 28.
Malkovich, 69, revealed the profound bond he shared with Sands, whom he considered "the greatest of friends" since they first met while working on the film 'The Killing Fields' in 1983. "We stayed incredibly close since then," Malkovich shared. He expressed his deep sorrow, saying, "I'll miss him every day of my life, but such is life. You lose a lot along the road until you're lost. And that's the way life ends, I'm afraid. I'm very sad about it, but obviously, of course, mostly for his children."
'Such is life!'
Being the godfather to Sands' eldest son, Henry, Malkovich expressed his acceptance of mortality, saying, "At my age, we get used to people dying. Many of my friends and colleagues are already gone, and I'll join them one of these days. Such is life." Just a month before his disappearance, Sands had given an interview discussing the inherent dangers of his beloved hobby of mountain climbing. “You may be confronted with human remains and that can be chilling. It’s not necessarily supernatural, it’s possibly all too natural – what I would call hypernatural,” he said.
Sands, an experienced and skilled mountaineer, was highly regarded for his hiking abilities. His hiking partner and fellow actor, Kevin Ryan, attested that Sands was "the most advanced hiker" he knew. Despite extensive search efforts by local authorities since March, the challenging weather conditions impeded their progress. It was only when civilian hikers discovered Sands' remains last month that confirmation of his death was possible.
'I had the best luck to have known Julian Sands!'
Following the tragic news of Sands' passing, actress Helena Bonham Carter penned a heartfelt tribute, reminiscing about her friendship with the enigmatic actor whom she co-starred with in 'A Room with a View.' “I suppose it is fair to say it started with a kiss,” she wrote. “An onscreen embrace that launched both our film careers. I was just 18. It always makes me think I had the best luck to have known Julian Sands."
“In the past few days, since his death has been confirmed, friends have told me I’ve been all over the news, kissing him time and time again, in that scene lifted from A Room with a View – a kiss sequence on a Tuscan hillside between our characters, Lucy Honeychurch and George Emerson, from EM Forster’s 1908 novel,” added Bonham Carter.