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Scott Eastwood posts tribute to Paul Walker: 'I am going to make you proud'

Eastwood's Instagram caption called the late actor a "role model and influencing figure ... when I was younger," adding, "He still is."
/ Source: TODAY

Scott Eastwood's announcement that he's joining the "Fast and the Furious" film franchise included a touching tribute to his "close friend," the late Paul Walker.

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AP; Reuters

On Monday afternoon, Eastwood's Instagram and Facebook accounts posted a photo of the "Longest Ride" star and the hashtag #F8, signifying the eighth installment in the blockbuster movie series. The news was bittersweet for Eastwood. The actor was moved to honor Walker, one of the original "Fast and Furious" franchise stars, who died in a November 2013 car crash.

"Paul was a close friend of mine," reads part of Eastwood's caption. "We surfed together, traveled together, and he was a huge role model and influencing figure in my life when I was younger. He still is. He was an older brother to me. For me to be able to add to the F&F story, Paul's story, and the FAST family is like a dream come true."

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Within about four hours of posting, Eastwood's announcement and tribute to Walker collected more than 60,000 likes on Instagram and 31,000 likes on Facebook.

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U.S. actor Paul Walker wears a creation from the Colcci summer collection at Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)AP file

Excited to be a part of the film's "legacy," Eastwood teased that he and Kurt Russell collaborate onscreen in the new installment. Eastwood described that experience as "incredible, because Kurt was a total childhood hero of mine growing up."

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After thanking the cast and franchise directors F. Gary Gray and Neal Mortitz, the post concluded with one more ode to Walker: "Paul — I am going to make you proud."

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