President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the cast and crew of the upcoming Hollywood romantic-comedy film The Last Resort at Malacañang Palace on Wednesday.
“Welcome to Manila, Welcome to Malacañang Palace… I was a little surprised when this popped up on my schedule and I said we're at that point because we've been talking about it for a while,” Marcos told the film’s cast and crew.
Marcos expressed his excitement for the production of the film, emphasizing the opportunity to showcase the beauty of the country on the international stage through the silver screen.
“I am so happy that now that you are in fact here and the work has started and it's all terribly exciting for all of us and thank you for coming to the Philippines, hopefully helping the Philippines project out into the world, the way Filipinos see our own country, and it's a country we're very, very proud of — the people are prouder of,” he noted.
The crew is filming the principal photography, or the main sequences of the film, in Palawan, with the rest of the film to be shot entirely in the Philippines.
Filipino businessman Manny V. Pangilinan, through MediaQuest Holdings, serves as an executive producer of the movie, while Bong Sta. Maria is tapped as lead producer.
Marcos said the cast and crew can rely on the two Filipinos behind the film.
Among the cast and crew Marcos met are Director Donald Petrie, lead actors Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker) and Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), and actor Sam Neill (Jurassic Park).