Arthur Newman Reflects On The Loss Of Paul Newman: ‘He Was My Role Model’

Days after the loss of one of Hollywood’s greatest talents, Paul Newman, the actor’s older brother Arthur Newman Jr. spoke with Billy Bush about his immeasurable loss.

“I guess I’m doing as well as can be expected,” Arthur told Billy Bush during a touching and emotional interview for Wednesday’s “The Billy Bush Show” and Access Hollywood, earlier this afternoon. “Naturally my thoughts keep going back to him. We literally grew up as twins.”

Arthur explained how at just a little over a year apart in age, he and Paul were raised so closely that they were given the same toys and sports equipment at the same time.

And though Paul was his younger brother, Paul became the person Arthur looked up to during the boys’ youth in Ohio.

“He was always there,” Arthur said. “Literally my younger brother was my role model. He was my mentor, he was my advisor.”

Since his brother’s death last Friday at the age of 83, Arthur told Billy the past few days have amounted to one of the most difficult periods in his life.

“It’s not – I don’t expect it to be easy. Obviously we all have to adjust to adversity and this is adversity at its greatest and we have to weather it,” he said.

Arthur, who served as the production manager for his brother’s film company, said that while many people knew Paul as a great actor, he was someone who put his all into his practice. Long before he became famous for his parts in films like “Cool Hand Luke,” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Paul told Arthur he was going to attend Yale School of Drama, which his elder brother suggested might not be the best place to spend his money.

“‘Arthur, I don’t care if I have to live out of an orange crate, I’m gonna learn my craft,’” he recounted his little brother as having said. “It wasn’t just luck… He worked hard. He was always punching ahead.”

And it was Paul’s dedication to not only his craft, but his endeavors, including his food business, that made him successful.

“No matter what he did he did it with great success and obviously I think about that all the time,” Arthur told Billy. “And he was so generous. He was generous to me and the family as well.”

In addition to speaking with Billy, Arthur also released a statement about his brother’s passing, calling Paul “just about the best human being I have ever known.”

“Beyond his place as a world famous ‘superstar’, his reputation as a top international race car driver and his rightful recognition as a most generous global philanthropist, Paul was my loyal and supportive brother for the past 83 years,” Arthur’s statement read. “Although he was a year younger, from the time we were boys, I always considered him my role model and mentor. His love for Joanne and all in our family, will provide us strength in times to come. He was just about the best human being I have ever known.”