The Transformers: Rise of the Beasts The New York City red carpet was filled with fans turned stars, who grew up watching movies and playing with the toys, and now found themselves celebrating their part in bringing these iconic characters to life.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Cristo Fernández The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere on Monday. “I still can’t believe it. I ask people to pinch me. I used to play with the toys, and now I’m one of them.”
The actor plays Wheeljack, the first Latin Autobot Transformers history. “I just hope this opens more doors for more Latino talent,” said the Ted Lasso star added.
Liza Koshy, who voices the Autobot Arcee, echoed Fernández’s statement, explaining that she was so excited to be a part of such an important piece of pop culture history and joked that everyone had all kinds of awakenings for Shia LaBeouf and Megan in the 2007 Fox. live action movie.
“She stands up for the femme Autobots,” Koshy said THR about Arcee. “She represents the women, and she’s so strong in the sense that she doesn’t fill anything up with pleasantries. She is assertive. She’s a boss. You call her a bitch, and you don’t like it. She stands in her power. And I am so honored to play her.”
The actress pointed out that having a character like hers is so important because it shows women that they don’t need to blow things up. They can be polite and assertive. They can be in charge and ask what they deserve.
Dominique Fishback, who stars in the film alongside Anthony Ramos, shared that she was drawn to her character Elena because she was smart, had an incredible arch, and is proud to be from Brooklyn, New York, as she is.
“It was fun to relax into a character and really lean into the accent,” she shared THR, before adding that she enjoyed working with Ramos. “We wanted to do something really epic together, really Brooklyn, and we never thought this would happen.”
Tongayi Chirisa, who voices Cheetor, said he grew up watching Transformers and often drew Optimus Prime, calling himself a “fanboy.”
“The great thing about this movie genre is that you’re like a kid in a candy store,” Chirisa said THR. “So you can let your imagination run wild to really create the scene for you. And of course you will find the magic under the guidance of the director.”
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is considered a direct follow-up to that of 2018 Bumblebee and a prequel to the first Transformers live-action film series starring LaBeouf and Fox. It follows Optimus Prime and the Autobots through their greatest challenge yet, when a new threat emerges capable of destroying the entire planet. Together with the Maximals they have to save the world.
Producers Tom DeSanto and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who have been with the franchise since the 2007 film, returned for Rise of the Beasts and stressed the importance of giving the audience a piece of good content that also respects the previous titles.
“I think you realize, with all those Transformershow deep the love for the characters is,” di Bonaventura shared THR. “And so we really want to do justice to the public’s memory of what they are.”
“The world needs heroes right now,” DeSanto said, adding that movies can help break down walls and build bridges for people all over the world, from Beijing to Barcelona to Boston. “Art is the best weapon good on the planet, and I’m glad we share this world with the planet.”
Steven Caple Jr. chose to direct the movie because he was a fan of the franchise, but also because it was a huge opportunity for him to make an impression on a franchise and make it reflect who he is.
“Everything from the characters, the plot, the emotional parts, the laughs, it’s the tone that I like to play, and to be able to do that on such a big platform, I had to accept it,” Caple Jr. said. THR. “You have a little bit of everything (in Rise of the Beasts): heart, humor, sitting on the edge of your seat, a little scared.”
But the most important thing about the film, he says, is the Autobot’s catchphrase: “‘Til All Are One.”
“I hope you feel that level of unity as you walk out of the theater,” he explained. “I made this movie in 2020, so I wanted people to feel after that. It would feel special to me if we all felt together, like a family.”
