James Woods pays heartfelt tribute to slain Rob Reiner as friend who 'saved my career'

Actor James Woods said his friendship with the late filmmaker Rob Reiner endured despite their political differences, honoring the slain Hollywood icon as a "godsend" who saved his career.

"At a very, very down point in my career, Rob literally saved my career and really put me back on track in a way that was so important and rewarding in my life, and he really fought for me when the studio didn't want me in a movie," Woods said on "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Monday.

"I was 32 years too young for the part, but he really believed that I was right and could do it. It was something that virtually nobody agreed with except one of his partners, Martin Shafer, who was the head of Castle Rock and one of the greatest production companies ever," Woods continued. 

"We did ‘Ghosts of Mississippi’ together, and I went from really being basically out of a job to getting an Academy Award nomination, and I give all the credit to Rob."

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Woods, who has frequently espoused conservative views, said he and Reiner, a progressive, remained close despite their differences. 

He recalled that friends were often puzzled to see them laughing together at parties, but said Reiner never allowed ideological disputes to interfere with their friendship.

"I judge people by how they treat me, and Rob Reiner was a godsend in my life," he said. "We got along great, we loved each other… and he was always on my side."

Woods went on to call the late "All in the Family" star a "patriot" who loved America deeply, even if the two disagreed on how that patriotism should be expressed.

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Woods also described the moment he learned of Reiner’s murder, a shock so overwhelming that he said he could barely breathe.

"My friend Carol called me and said, 'Listen, I want you to hear about this before it's on the news, Rob and Michele were murdered.' I literally said, ‘Rob and Michele who?’ She goes, ‘Reiner.'"

Woods said he was stunned into silence. "You know when you can't breathe? I literally said, ‘Was it a home invasion?’ She said they didn’t know, but that it may have been Nick… I just felt my heart drop. All I could think about was what Tracy [Reiner] is going to go through."

Woods added that he had always "loved, respected and cherished" Reiner.

Reiner, an activist, iconic Hollywood director and star of the popular 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," was found dead alongside his wife, Michele, in their Brentwood, California, home on Sunday.

Their son, Nick Reiner, was taken into custody on suspicion of their murders that same day and is expected to appear in court Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.