Gulf News' Irish Eden Belleza and A.K. Kallouche, plus tabloid! intern David Thomas bring you behind-the-scene news from Nadine Lustre's visit to Dubai.
Accidental celebrity?
At her meet-and-greet with a horde of fans at the Dubai Mall, Lustre said she didn't really plan on being an actress.
"As a kid I didn't really want to be an actress or celebrity but when I started acting for TV that's when I thought, 'Hey I'm really good at this'," said the 24-year-old star. She broke into the show business scene at the age of 9 as a host for children's show Storyland and also landed a hosting gig for Disney Channel Asia.
When asked about her on-camera and off-camera relationship with actor James Reid, she said it is "great, as usual".
"It's amazing and we're always helping each other," she said. Her new movie, Never Not Love You, will be showing in UAE cinemas on April 19.
#NadineLustre makes a few more fans happy before her exit from @TheDubaiMall #NeverNotLoveYou Watch the FULL VIDEO STREAM here https://t.co/LfPBoOSxgn pic.twitter.com/7Tbkn4efwA
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) April 18, 2018
Watch Nadine Lustre's Q&A with Gulf News and the media:
Click here for more #Pinoy stories from the UAE
UAE fans shower her with love
7:20pm: And the meet-and-greet continues, with fans relishing a few seconds to pose with Lustre. Some have come with bouquets and special banners as gifts. That's how her UAE fans shower her with love!
No selfies! 🤳🏼 😂 #NadineLustre #NeverNotLoveYou #JaDine pic.twitter.com/idsCp7DnEn
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) April 18, 2018
7:07pm: And Lustre has come out to meet fans at Reel Cinema, Dubai Mall! We've never seen the cinema hall this packed!
"It's great to be back," the Never Not Love You star said, wearing a dark blue, off-shoulder onesie.
The crowd erupts into a loud cheer as she acknowledges her Jadine fans.
"I'm really blessed. You've been waiting for two hours," she said to more cheers, adding that it only meant "they love us very much and we love them".
'I took a day off just to see her'
6:50pm: Fans have crowded the Reel Cinema at Dubai Mall for a chance to meet Lustre. Some, carrying banners, have come from as far as Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi just to see their idol. "I took a day off just to see her," one fan told Gulf News #Pinoy.
Is Nadine Joanne?
Answering a question from Gulf News #Pinoy, Lustre revealed how much of her is similar to her Never Not Love You character, Joanne:
"Joanne is a very career-driven woman. I think that's where Joanne and me are the same. I am very focused when it comes to my work and what I do," she said.
And what do they not have in common?
"Her attitude. In the movie she's impatient. I'm the opposite," she revealed.
On her new makeup line
Lustre has collaborated with Australian cosmetics brand BYS for her makeup collection, dubbed “Lustrous”, which she launched this month. Where did she get inspiration for it?
"Frida Kahlo was the first person to come to mind when we conceptualised the makeup line," she said.
'We're done with the tweetums'
At her press conference in Dubai on Wednesday, Lustre said her movie Never Not Love You helped her and real-life partner James Reid "take [their acting] to the next level". "We're done with the tweetums, the romcoms," she said, adding that the movie is "so real" because "most of the lines were improvised and impromptu."
6:10pm: And Nadine Lustre is in the house! Watch our live stream above
5:57pm: While the crowd is building up at Dubai Mall's Reel Cinemas for Lustre's appearance, let's have some trivia time!
In a previous media interview, the popular Filipino actress said she considers time travelling as her dream super power! But as you can see in the photo below, she also loves to just travel and the UAE has been one of her frequent travel stops for the last three years.
Did you know that #NadineLustre considers time travelling her dream super power? In the meantime, she's just happy plain travelling! Follow our live coverage of her visit to Dubai to promo #NeverNotLoveYou https://t.co/LfPBoOSxgn
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) April 18, 2018
Photo courtesy: Nadine Lustre/Instagram pic.twitter.com/ze7YoqbCv9
5:29pm: These early birds are at Reel Cinemas, Dubai Mall ahead of a meet-and-greet with Filipina actress Nadine Lustre who is in town to promote her new movie Never Not Love You. Gulf News is at the scene and will be bringing you live video stream so watch this space!
It’s a patient wait for this first group of #NadineLustre fans at @TheDubaiMall. The actress is due for a presscon before she can come out to meet them #NeverNotLoveYou Follow our live coverage https://t.co/LfPBoOSxgn pic.twitter.com/ju3LVAcdpu
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) April 18, 2018
Click here for more #Pinoy stories from the UAE
5:15pm: Reel Cinemas is getting prepped up for Nadine Lustre's visit. Organisers are expecting hundreds of fans to show up for tonight's meet-and-greet.
Preparations are underway at @ReelCinemas @TheDubaiMall ahead of #NadineLustre meet-and-greet with fans. Follow our live coverage https://t.co/LfPBoOSxgn pic.twitter.com/VbMxkTQFBI
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) April 18, 2018
5pm: Fans have started to gather at the Dubai Mall to meet their beautiful idol
We’re at @TheDubaiMall to meet #NadineLustre ahead of the UAE premiere of #NeverNotLoveYou . Catch our live coverage https://t.co/LfPBoOSxgn pic.twitter.com/sebmzaVtf1
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) April 18, 2018
Click here for more #Pinoy stories from the UAE
Never Not Love You
Nadine's latest movie, Never Not Love You, will be shown in UAE cinemas starting April 19.
We're meeting #NadineLustre at @TheDubaiMall on April 18! Follow our LIVE COVERAGE on https://t.co/js8VOvcGh5 https://t.co/LfPBoPa87V #NeverNotLoveYou #JaDine pic.twitter.com/ZQ3u4clsZX
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) April 17, 2018
It’s been nearly two years since fans saw JaDine — the real-life partnership of Lustre and James Reid — on the big screen, following 2016’s This Time.
ALSO READ: Popular Filipino love teams through the years
Never Not Love You is a romantic drama about young lovers who try to build a life together until career opportunities send them out of the country. The movie is written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone. This will be JaDine’s third time working with Jadaone following the hit teleseryes On the Wings of Love and Till I Met You.
Lustre will have a meet and greet with her fans on April 18, from 7pm to 8pm at Reel Cinemas, The Dubai Mall.
JaDine in UAE
Last year, Lustre was in Dubai with Reid for a concert tour at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Here's what JaDine had to say to the media and their die-hard fans in the UAE:
The concert was another hit and came a year after the pair enchanted their legion of screaming fans at their first concert in the UAE in 2016.
Let's take you back to memory lane with this video:
With inputs from Florence Pia G Yu, Web Editor; Christian Borbon, Web Producer and Jobannie Tabada, Features Editor - Property Weekly
