Anton Yelchin's Parents Reflect on Losing Their Son at 27: 'It's Hard to Live'

Anton Yelchin's parents are looking back on their son's life and career two years after his death

Anton Yelchin‘s parents are still grieving the loss of their son.

Viktor and Irina Yelchin, former figure skaters from Russia, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about their son, who passed away at 27 after being crushed by his Jeep at his home in 2016, and the new documentary reflecting on his life.

The two parents revealed they were living in the Star Trek actor’s Los Angeles home after they found it too emotionally painful to sell it.

“It’s difficult, but we feel his presence,” Viktor told the newspaper. “We’re closer to him, even if it’s very hard.”

Irina added it was “hard to walk” to the driveway, the site of Anton’s death. “It’s hard to live. But we are. So we have to do something while we’re here.”

Camilla Morandi/REX/Shutterstock

The couple is adding the documentary Love, Antosha to the list of things they’ve done in an effort to maintain their son’s legacy. The film features conversations with some of the actor’s costars including Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Stewart, director J.J. Abrams, Jodie Foster and more. It debuts at the Sundance Film Festival this month.

Anton Yelchin and his parents Viktor and Irina in 2007. Alex Berliner/BEI/REX/Shutterstock

It was Jon Voight, Anton’s former Court of Conscience costar, who gave the Yelchins the idea after they admitted they didn’t “see any reason to live” after their son’s death, they told the Times.

“He said, ‘Why? You have to live. Make a documentary and keep his memory alive,'” Viktor told the publication.

The documentary, directed by Garret Price, explores Anton’s life as well as his struggle with cystic fibrosis — something his parents tried to shelter him from, according to the newspaper.

“I didn’t want to introduce him exactly to what it was, because he was so artistic and so sensitive,” Irina explained. “I was just afraid that he would go into it and he would get panicked or get affected by it too much.”

Anton Yelchin. Larry Busacca/Getty

While the two have worked tirelessly on the documentary, it wasn’t as therapeutic as they expected to look back on their son’s life. The Yelchins said they are doing their best to live with the pain.

“We’re trying and trying,” Irina said. “I’m trying to put on makeup in the morning because Anton would always say, ‘You look so cute.’ I do it, and by the night, it doesn’t matter, it’s disappeared.”

The Like Crazy actor was honored at a celebration of life hosted by his parents and attended by several of his costars and friends at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles in October 2017.

At the time of his death, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told PEOPLE the actor had been found pinned by his car at his home.

Love, Antosha premieres Jan. 28 at the Sundance Film Festival.