- - Morris Chestnut Recalls Working with 'Incredible' Malcolm-Jamal Warner on “The Resident” (Exclusive)

Brenton BlanchetOctober 28, 2025 at 12:02 AM

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Morris Chestnut is reflecting on his time on The Resident with Malcolm-Jamal Warner

The Watson actor told PEOPLE that Warner "was such a good dude" and went out for dinner with him during one of his earlier days on set

"He was very protective of everybody on the show and that's kind of how he was," Chestnut said

Morris Chestnut is remembering his The Resident costar Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

While speaking with PEOPLE about his costars over the years and flipping through his own Co-Star Album in an interview published on Monday, Oct. 27, the Watson actor recalled his time working with Warner on The Resident and the impression Warner left on him as an actor in the years prior.

Chestnut, 56, says he "still can't believe that Malcolm's no longer here."

The pair worked together on The Resident when Chestnut boarded the medical drama in 2019 for two seasons.

"He was such a good dude," Chestnut says, before pointing out an image of them together on set. "I remember this scene. Our characters didn't like each other. He was very protective of everybody on the show and that's kind of how he was."

FOX via Getty

Morris Chestnut (left), Michael Hogan (center) and Malcolm-Jamal Warner (right) on 'The Resident'

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While Chestnut wasn't acting when The Cosby Show premiered in 1984, he remembered whose character "resonated with me the most" when he began to tune in: Warner's Theo Huxtable.

"I can see myself, as an actor, in his character," Chestnut says. "I hadn't decided to act at that time, but that probably was one of the first times I was like, 'Wow, that's kind of cool. This dude's an actor on TV, we kind of look alike.' Matter of fact, he had one of my favorite episodes on The Cosby Show with Gordon Gartrell shirt, that's just one of my favorite all-time episodes."

As Chestnut explains, he and Warner spoke about that episode on the set of The Resident after Chestnut joined the cast for seasons 3 and 4 beginning in 2019.

"He was telling me a couple stories about working in New York. When I first came to that cast, he was like, 'Hey, let's go grab a bite to eat.' So we went out to dinner," Chestnut said, adding, "[He was] just an incredible dude. I hate what happened to him. Rest in peace."

Warner, who played Dr. AJ Austin in the six-season medical drama, died in an accidental drowning while on a family vacation in Costa Rica on July 20. He was 54.

Chestnut, who played neurosurgeon Barrett Cain in the series, looked back at the "class-act" cast of The Resident, including Matt Czuchry and Jane Leeves. "It was just a great cast," he said. "Great cast to work with."

The Resident ran for five years through six seasons on Fox, from 2018 to 2023.

Elsewhere during his latest chat with PEOPLE, Chestnut shared memories of a few of his other major roles, such as being “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” for Boyz N The Hood and appearing alongside Patti LaBelle in the sitcom Out All Night.

As for Warner, his mother Pamela appeared on Good Morning America last month to discuss how his family has adjusted in the months since his death, with Pamela telling Robin Roberts she was "at peace with everything that happened."

On Sept. 12, Warner's wife Tenisha posted a photo from the pair's 2017 wedding, one day before their anniversary.

"For the first time, I’m sharing a glimpse of the love that began it all. I can still hear my husband’s laugh, still feel the way he made room for every part of me — every tear, every dream," she wrote. "Together we carry the legacy my husband and I began — one that nurtures children’s inner light and gives young artists the freedom to create outside the lines."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”