One ‘Fast and Furious’ Star Was Missing From ‘F9’ Premiere, Here’s Why

The premiere for Fast & Furious 9 (F9) took place in person on Friday night in Los Angeles. But, one of the stars of the franchise was not able to attend the event. On both Instagram and Twitter, Game of Thrones alum Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Ramsey in the Fast and the Furious series, explained why she wasn’t able to attend the premiere.

Emmanuel explained on social media that she wanted to attend the premiere in Los Angeles. However, due to travel restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, she wasn’t able to. The actor said that she was still supporting her co-stars afar from London all the same. Emmanuel wrote on Instagram, captioning a screenshot of the message that she posted on Twitter about the matter, “Covid is still making it difficult to travel, especially from the UK and it didn’t quite work out…. But I have my health and my family has theirs and I am overly blessed… life is good.” She added about F9: The Fast Saga, which will be released on June 25, “#F9 is next level! I can’t wait for you all to see it!”

Emmanuel has portrayed the character Ramsey in three Fast and Furious films. She made her debut in the franchise in 2015’s Furious 7. The Game of Thrones alum then appeared in The Fate of the Furious in 2017. She will next be seen in F9 alongside Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, and Charlize Theron, amongst others. As E! News noted, the cast gathered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday for the F9 premiere. The event also saw plenty of other celebrities in attendance including Vanessa Bryant and Natalia Bryant.

Meadow Walker, who is the daughter of late Fast and Furious star Paul Walker, also appeared at the premiere. As Page Six noted, Meadow actually spent some time on the set of F9 alongside her father’s brothers, Cody and Caleb, according to Ludacris. During an interview on SiriusXM, the rapper and actor said that he will “always miss” Paul. He added, “Carrying on his legacy and his daughter being on set and his brothers being on set constantly telling us, consulting and telling us what they feel, how he can be incorporated, his legacy can be incorporated.”