Deafening cheers greet ‘Fast and Furious 6’ stars in Manila
Hollywood meets Manila. It was a star-studded Wednesday night as “Fast and Furious 6” stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Luke Evans and Gina Carano attended the Manila red carpet premiere of the Hollywood action movie franchise in SM Mall of Asia on May 15.
The cast, together with producer Neal H. Moritz, met and greeted Filipino fans, who welcomed them with deafening cheers.
‘Amazing’ premiere
The Hollywood stars praised the Philippines and their Filipino fans.
“I love Manila so much. I love all of you so much. We’re so proud to come here and do the first Hollywood premiere in the Philippines. And you were all part of it tonight. Mahal ko kayo,” Vin exclaimed onstage.
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The actor, who reprises the role of Dominic Toretto, shared that their Manila red carpet premiere is the “best” he has ever been to.
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He added, “I really mean this. I’ve been to a lot of premieres in my life, I’ve been to premieres in many, many countries for many films, I have never in my life seen a premiere this amazing. I can feel you from here, I can feel the love from you. I think this is the best premiere I've ever been to in my whole life.”
Manila is part of the movie’s world tour, which includes stops in London, Beijing, Seoul and Cabo San Lucas.
Warm and friendly cast
All the cast members were very accommodating. They signed autographs, shook hands and took photos with their equally-enthusiastic fans during their red carpet walk.
Vin said “Mahal ko kayo” a few times.
Michelle got off the stage after a short interview to take photos with fans and interact with them longer.
“I love you Manila. This is beautiful. I just can’t express how beautiful you are right now. This is the most love that I think the franchise has ever gotten. I just love you guys. You are so beautiful.”
Luke, who plays antagonist Owen Shaw in the movie’s sixth installment, gladly sang a few lines from the Tagalog song “Kailangan Kita.” He played Chris in Miss Saigon.
“I’ve been in Manila once before. I had a great time (here) ten years ago,” he said.
American actress and mixed martial artist Gina Carano was also all smiles as she walked down the red carpet.
“What an amazing turnout. I’m just so honored to be here. This is so incredible,” Gina told Yahoo! Philippines OMG!
Asked what makes the movie successful worldwide, Gina replied, “The people just love the story and they love the action. Apparently, because this is huge.”
The cast arrived in Manila on Tuesday, May 14.
In the morning of the same day, Vin was spotted roaming around Bonifacio Global City in his signature white tank top. He even sat at the back of a parked jeepney, which he had all to himself.
Aside from fast-paced car chases and death-defying driving stunts, “Fast and Furious 6” also focuses on the value of family.
The movie also stars Paul Walker, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, John Ortiz, Gal Gadot and Elsa Pataky. It opens in cinemas nationwide on Friday, May 24.
