James Paxton has called the brief role “an Easter egg” for fans of his dad’s work

James Paxton, the son of beloved late actor and Twister star Bill Paxton, makes a cameo in the film’s indirect sequel Twisters — but he isn’t on screen for long!

James, 30, previously described his stint in Twisters — the standalone follow-up to the 1996 tornado-chaser hit — as an “easter egg” for fans of his father, but some fans may be wondering who exactly he plays in the film.

In Twisters, which arrived in theaters on Friday, July 19 and also features Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, James portrays an angry motel guest joined by his female companion. His character complains to a manager and threatens to leave a negative review all while a tornado begins bearing down on the motel.

During the scene, meteorologist Kate Cooper (Edgar-Jones) and storm chaser Tyler Owens (Powell) try to warn people of the forthcoming danger, while James’ character and his partner ultimately get swept away by the storm.

The brief Paxton family return to the cinematic world of tornado chasing was “really a cameo,” James told Entertainment Weekly earlier this month, in which he added that he “did this one for Dad.” Bill Paxton, who shared James and daughter Lydia with wife Louise and also appeared in hits including Aliens and The Terminator, died in February 2017 at age 61.

James called his latest film work “an emotional thing” given “the context of my dad and his significance in the original and him not being here.”

“I wanted to be a conduit for his spirit there and cheer everyone in this production on to success, because I know he would be,” James told EW. “I wanted to do something that really honors his presence in this new chapter and really do something for him.”

“And I realized there’s a lot of amazing people involved in this that I would love to get to know,” he continued. “So it ended up feeling like the right thing to do, to be representative of Dad there.”

Bill Paxton and his son, James Paxton at the Vista Theatre on January 30, 2017 in Los Angeles.TIBRINA HOBSON/GETTY

Elsewhere, while speaking with EW, James — who doubles as an actor and a musician under the name Love, Pax — revealed that, initially, his father “was a bit reticent” when he found out he had a passion for acting.

“And at first, Dad was a bit reticent — just because he knows this is a very tough path and there’s a lot of ups and downs and adversity that you go through just trying to build a career of longevity in acting and filmmaking,” James said. “And he said, ‘Gosh, if there’s anything else you want to do, even just as much or more, a little bit more, do that instead.’ And I said, ‘Dad, I really want to do this.’ “

“And then, two years into auditioning full-time, I booked my first big break, a lead role on Eyewitness, directed by Catherine Hardwicke,” he added. “It was just a life-changing, career-changing experience because it really set me on a path and gave me legitimacy as my own actor.”

Bill starred as storm chaser Bill Harding in the original Twister in 1996, with a cast rounded out by Helen Hunt and Jami Gertz. His son has continued to honor him, even through song, as he released his new single as Love, Pax this month entitled “Count On Me,” telling PEOPLE he used music as a “survival tactic” after his dad’s death.

“When my dad passed, music really became my main outlet and I started to write these songs by myself on the guitar. It took a long time to feel confident to even record them,” James said of his music, which includes the new single featuring reflections on his journey with grief.

Twisters is now in theaters.