Virginia Madsen rememebers Tony Todd: “I will always be proud to have been his Helen”

We were all shocked to learn of Tony Todd’s death last month, and Virginia Madsen has penned a lovely tribute to her late friend and Candyman co-star.

“I believe Tony is one of the iconic greats, up there with Dracula — and when you think about the power they have, it’s not strength. It’s seductive and romantic and draws you in,” Madsen wrote. “On top of that, he had the most beautiful voice. He could just say ‘Hi,’ and it would resonate through your whole body. I remember when ‘Candyman’ came out some people asked me what they did to his voice to make it so smooth and powerful. I was like, ‘No, it’s just like that!’“

Madsen continued, “I first met Tony at a lunch. I was originally going to play Helen’s best friend, Bernadette. Bernard’s wife at the time, Alexandra Pigg, was going to play Helen. But she got pregnant and they felt it was too grueling for her, so I stepped in as Helen. I think this lunch was a kind of chemistry read, or maybe we were just meeting because we were going to go through a lot together. He walked in and he was so tall and handsome and he had that wonderful smile. And I just knew he was 100 percent the right guy. And he was so kind. He could have dismissed me as some little starlet, but he treated me like an equal from the start.“

The actress also recalled how Todd tricked her for many years over one of his other famous roles. “He had a great, sly sense of humor. I remember someone on set mentioning he played Wharf’s [sic] brother on ‘Star Trek’ and he said, ‘No, that’s not me, that’s my twin brother,’” she wrote. “Now, I am gullible but he’s also such a convincing actor that for years I thought he had a twin brother. Like, when I saw him, I would ask about how his brother was doing! It was only years later, thanks to Google probably, that I realized it was a joke.“

Madsen knows that Todd will always be remembered as a great actor, and she treasures the time they got to spend together, adding, “To get to start out with someone you respect and appreciate so much and remain in touch with years later — it’s a rare thing in this business.” You can check out the rest of her tribute right here.