I can't believe how big the "Fast & Furious" franchise has grown over the years. I remember going to the premiere of the first film just to get Paul Walker's autograph. And now, I got to visit the set of its latest installment "Fast & Furious 9" and meet its stellar cast!
Thanks to my many Hollywood connections, I was able to spend a week with the cast and crew of "Fast & Furious 9." I was there to get some autographs but I wasn't just going to laze around. I became a part-timer while they shot the film. I'd go on errands here and there, help build sets, clean a few props, and more. It was an amazing experience and I really found a new respect for those who worked on movies behind the scenes. However, as an autograph hound, I was most excited about meeting the cast.
As I expected, the movie's cast members were amazing. I mean, you had Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, and Charlize Theron. Some of them are Hollywood legends. And others, especially Diesel, had this intimidating aura that screamed how badass they are. They didn't need to say anything. One look and you'll feel this urge to bow down to them.
Fortunately, as scary as they seemed, they're actually pretty nice people. Some were more closed off than others, but for the most part, they weren't bad people. They were fantastic on camera, they were polite to the crew, and there wasn't a bad attitude on set. There were some tantrums here and there, but seeing what they had to go through to film this movie, I don't blame them. It was even more surprising that they could get it together most of the time. From the actions sequences they had to pull, it would've driven me insane if I were in their position.
It was because of that that I had to pick the right moment to ask for their autographs. Since I was familiar with the schedule of filming, I knew which days they'd be more relaxed and which days where they'd be too exhausted to act nice in front of others. You can already tell which days I asked for their autographs. Thank God I thought up that strategy and didn't just approach them randomly because some of my fellow part-time crew members did it and it never ended well with them. But with me? They signed all my movie posters!
From what I remember (and what I can share), Diesel, Theron, Rodriguez, and Ludacris were the easiest to approach. I mean, they're probably used to this sort of thing so when I asked them to sign my "F9" movie posters, they didn't think it was a hassle. Others, which I won't name, weren't so open. I'm not saying they gave me attitude or anything. On the contrary, a handful of them even seemed embarrassed when I asked for their autographs. And a few simply wanted to be left alone, which was fair.
In the end, though, I managed to get a lot of autographs. I'm not sure if there'll ever be a tenth installment for the "Fast & Furious" franchise but if not, I'm so happy I was able to visit the set of "F9" and get the cast's autographs. It was one of the best experiences of my life!
Please note: Our inventory is limited as we may have only received a few posters in total. Most of our items are obtained from film premieres, studios, and from autographed hounds such as the one in the story above.
