The producer of Andrew Koenig's last film is "shocked and surprised" by the actor's apparent suicide - because the star seemed so happy on set.
Miller Uwanawich cast Koenig in upcoming drama DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) - NonSenSE, which will mark his last onscreen role, and worked closely with him on the independent project in 2008.
Koenig went missing earlier this month and was found dead on February 25th in a Canadian park after reportedly taking his life.
And Uwanawich insists he's still coming to terms with the tragedy - because he saw no signs of depression in the former Growing Pains star.
He tells MTV.com, "If I have to explain (my feelings) in one word, sad. I don't know what else to say; I'm shocked, sad, surprised...
"I can't tell you how shocked I am. He was just a nice individual, we had some nice conversations, it came as a complete shock to me. We had a great time on set, laughing and joking... He seemed like a very nice, happy, fulfilled person.
"From what I understand, it was his last project. My partner and I cast him; we're younger, we're in our thirties, and it was a project of art and love vs. money and greed, so it was a fun project. We cast Andrew because we were fans of Growing Pains, we were fans of his character."
But Uwanawich is convinced fans will love his final performance, insisting Koenig steals the show in a largely improvised scene with co-star Gary Busey.
He adds, "His character is a silly character. Gary is pitching these crazy products, he's a struggling businessman. Andrew happened to be one of the investors that he's trying to pitch this project to, this gravity power device of some sort. It's one of the best scenes of the movie. Gary had no chance (to keep up); Andrew took the scene over.
"When people see his performance, they're gonna smile and laugh. It's like Andrew was in the '80s; he brings this lovable character out. It was awesome."
DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) - NonSenSE is due to hit movie theatres later this year.
