Mr. Rogers' nephew remembers his iconic Uncle Fred, shares thoughts on new movie

SALEM, Va. — "He was exactly the same person off camera, as on camera. This was his personality," Brooks Crozier told WDBJ.

America's favorite neighbor was Crozier's Uncle Fred. Crozier lives in Salem, Virginia.

"I teach here at Roanoke College. I teach biology. My mom was Fred Rogers' sister," said Crozier.

He grew up watching his Uncle Fred just like many children, but his relationship with him extended beyond the television screen.

Crozier pointed to a family picture and said, "This is my dad with Fred up at Nantucket. And so, really we spent a lot of family time together there on the island."

They were a close family, said Crozier, full of silly memories and inside jokes.

"If we were going to the grocery store, he would say, 'Would you mind getting me three bananas, small?'" said Crozier.

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Crozier recently saw the new bio-pic that features his uncle.

"Fred had such unique mannerisms that I, of course, was a little worried about how that might be portrayed," said Crozier.

Those worries went away once the theater went dark.

"There are some moments in the film where I think Tom Hanks really honed in on Fred's personality. I think he did a really good job."

Crozier said his family works to continue spreading kindness and hopes more follow that same message.

"I really wish that people could step back just a bit and remember that message that everybody is special, everybody has a talent," said Crozier.

CNN/WDBJ