Cameron Boyce’s co-star China Anne McClain gets emotional talking about her late BFF ahead of Descendants 3 premiere: ‘I had no idea about his medical condition’
The third installment in the Descendants franchise premiered on the Disney Channel on Friday, August 2.
It turned out to be a bittersweet day for the cast with the recent death of co-star Cameron Boyce still weighing heavy on their hearts and minds.
During an interview with TMZ just hours before the premiere, China Anne McClain broke down in tears on several occasions when talking about her co-star and friend of over 10 years.
Emotional: China Anne McClain broke down in tears on several occasions when talking about her co-star and friend Cameron Boyce, ahead of the premiere of Descendants 3
‘I’m already getting emotional,’ McClain said at the top of the interview with hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere.
‘I miss Cam a lot. It’s hard every time I see his face.
The actress, 20, confessed she hasn’t seen Descendents 3 yet in the wake of his passing from an epileptic seizure July 6.
‘I don’t know if I’m going to make it through it tonight,’ she said of the premiere while getting visibly emotional.
‘He’s my best friend. He was the most fun person to be around. He was so pure and innocent.’
Shock and sadness: ‘It hit me out of nowhere,’ the actress, 20, said of Boyce’s death on July 6
McClain maintained that only Boyce’s family knew he battled with epilepsy and seizures.
‘It was very private. When I found out he passed I was like, what! I had no idea about his medical condition. I think it was very close in his family and they knew about it and they were dealing with it within the family.’
She continued, ‘It hit me out of nowhere.’
‘It’s been really difficult but I miss him a lot and I love him and that’s never going to change,’ McClain said of her friend; McClain and Boyce are pictured with Boo Boo Stewart in July 2017
With a steady flow of tears coming down, the Atlanta native revealed that her friendship with Boyce was the longest of her life.
‘I’d known him for so long. I had never kept a relationship with somebody over 10 years like that. And to see him go, and he was younger than me, it was just like, I don’t know what to say about it.’
She then explained the various mixed emotions she’s been experiencing, including where she caught herself picking up the phone to text Boyce.
‘It’s been really difficult but I miss him a lot and I love him and that’s never going to change.’
RIP: Boyce was found dead in his home in the North Hollywood area at the age of 20 after suffering a fatal seizure in his sleep
As a way to keep their friend’s memory alive, some of the cast of Descendants 3 sent text messages to their late co-star.
Dave Cameron shared a screencap from the group text chain between Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson and Boo Boo Stewart.
‘I love you so much,’ Carson and Cameron both wrote. Stewart added, I love you so much too.’
Boyce was found dead in his home in the North Hollywood area after suffering a fatal seizure in his sleep.
Heartfelt: Descendants co-stars Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson and Boo Boo Stewart send their love to Boyce in a group text chain as a way to keep his memory alive
