Billy Bob Thornton thought a documentary tribute to Willie Nelson was long overdue. So he made one himself. Thornton's "The King of Luck" premiered Saturday in Austin, the final film to premiere as part of the South by Southwest Film Festival Thornton hopes documentary will be lasting tribute

- Billy Bob Thornton thought a documentary tribute to Willie Nelson was long overdue. So he made one himself.
Thornton's "The King of Luck" premiered Saturday in Austin, the final film to premiere as part of the South by Southwest Film Festival.
"We just wanted to do an accurate and loving tribute to Willie," Thornton said from the red carpet, shortly before the start of the premiere. "He's a guy that's been a legend, especially in these parts, for a long time and we thought he deserved kind of a full-length documentary."
Thornton started shooting the documentary while on the road touring with Nelson. The title is a reference to Nelson's Austin-area ranch, which he named Luck, Texas.
"His crew and his band and Willie, they're all such laid back and nice people," said Thornton, whose mother turned him onto Nelson's music as a kid. "It's a real easy thing, they have no ego about them."
Like a lot of folks, Thornton said, he can't quite remember the first time he met Nelson.
"I can't remember it, it just happened," he said chuckling. "But it was a long time ago."
Fittingly, Nelson was on the road again and did not attend the premiere. Several of Nelson's contemporaries, like entertainer Kinky Friedman, musician Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, were in attendance. Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel also attended the premiere, as did U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who introduced the film.
"This is really a movie that's told by the people around him, who love him and we thought he deserved it," Thornton said.