SEOUL – Filipino actor Alden Richards had a star-struck moment as he met and hugged Hollywood icon Tom Cruise during the red-carpet premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in South Korea on May 8.
The two actors greeted each other warmly, with Cruise even initiating a hug. Richards, beaming with excitement, later shared a video of the encounter on Instagram, captioned: “Ethan meets Ethan… I have no words!” — a playful nod to Richards’ character Ethan Del Rosario from Hello, Love, Goodbye and Hello, Love, Again, and Cruise’s legendary role as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
At the event, Richards also had the chance to meet cast members Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, and Greg Tarzan Davis, as well as director Christopher McQuarrie.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to hit Philippine cinemas on May 17.
Richards is riding high on recent success, having been named Box Office King by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines alongside co-star Kathryn Bernardo, thanks to the record-breaking global success of Hello, Love, Again, which earned ₱1.6 billion worldwide.