To Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Diane Keaton wasn’t just a co-star.
She was also an entertainment industry mother figure who helped launch her career when Williams-Paisley was still just a teen.
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Brad Paisley — Williams-Paisley’s country superstar husband — said that his wife felt like she was losing a family member when Keaton died in October.
“It really did affect Kim,” Paisley acknowledges.
Williams-Paisley was 19 years old and very new to acting when she landed her starring role in the 1991 film Father of the Bride.
Keaton and Steve Martin — already well-established stars of the screen — played her parents in that movie.
“You can imagine she’s 19 years old, gets cast in Father of the Bride as an unknown,” Paisley explains. “And her sort of adopted parents in show business were Steve and Diane. And they were great to her. And Diane was always great to her.”
“So to her it is a weird feeling like you have lost a family member,” he continues, describing his wife’s reaction when she learned that Keaton had died. “It shocked her, for sure.”
Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s Moving Tribute to Diane Keaton
After Keaton’s death, Williams-Paisley shared a heartfelt tribute in which she called her work with Keaton “one of the highlights of my life.”
Read More: Kimberly Williams-Paisley Honors Diane Keaton After Her Death
In addition to her role as a mentor, Williams-Paisley said Keaton was memorable for her sense of humor. “It was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time,” she said in her remembrance.
Brad Paisley Says Diane Keaton’s Impact Was One-of-a-Kind
In his new interview, Paisley acknowledges that his wife had a special bond with Keaton.
“Who had the connection to her that Kim did, as far as the actual — one of the most iconic mother-daughter relationship movies you can think of,” he pointed out.
But he also said that the “magic of Diane Keaton” was how personally she was able to connect with everyone in her circle.
“Diane had that effect on people,” he concluded.
How Did Brad Paisley Meet His Wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley?
Paisley and his wife’s love story might never have started if it weren’t for her role in Father of the Bride.
He was captivated by her when he watched the movie with an old girlfriend — so much so that he went to a movie theater to see the sequel, Father of the Bride Part II, by himself. By then, that girlfriend had dumped him.
Read More: Remember When Brad Paisley + Kimberly Williams-Paisley Met?
The same decade, Paisley was steadily making a name for himself as a burgeoning country star with his 1999 debut album Who Needs Pictures and his 2001 sophomore album, Part II.
He’s said that second album — and its title track — were partially inspired by his experience of watching Father of the Bride both coupled and recently dumped. “Part II” is about wishing life could have a “second installment” like the movies, and he wished that he could have a second chance with his long-lost love.
But unbeknownst to Paisley, the love of his life was about to come along.
He booked Williams-Paisley to star as the love interest in his music video for “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” and from there, they were off to the races.
The couple wed on March 15, 2003, and they share two sons named Huck and Jasper.
R.I.P.: 40 Country Singers and Songwriters Who Died Too Soon
These country singers had so much more to give. See 40 country singers who died much too soon: Keith Whitley, Mindy McCready, Troy Gentry and more.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes