Alden Richards meets, shares hug with Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise and Alden Richards. Image: Instagram/@aldenrichards02, @paramountpicsph

Alden Richards could not seem to contain his excitement as he met, hugged and even engaged in a conversation with Hollywood star Tom Cruise in South Korea.

The Filipino actor was able to meet face to face with Cruise during the Seoul red-carpet premiere of the latter’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” on Thursday, May 8.

Richards and Cruise shook hands while the former was saying something, with the latter even initiating the hug.

“Ethan meets Ethan… I have no words!” Richards captioned a video of their encounter.

Richards is referring to their popular characters — his being Ethan Del Rosario from “Hello, Love, Goodbye” and “Hello, Love, Again,” and Cruise’s role as Ethan Hunt in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.

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A post shared by Alden Richards (@aldenrichards02)

During the star-studded event, Richards also met other cast members Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff and Greg Tarzan Davis, as well as director Christopher McQuarrie.

Hayley Atwell and Alden Richards at the Seoul red carpet premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” on May 8. (Photo courtesy of Alden Richards/Sam Sanciangco)

Simon Pegg and Alden Richards at the Seoul red carpet premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” on May 8. (Photo courtesy of Alden Richards/Sam Sanciangco)

Alden Richards is all smiles while standing beside Greg Tarzan Davis and his fellow VIP guests at the Seoul red carpet premiere of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” on May 8. (Photo courtesy of Alden Richards/Sam Sanciangco)

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is set to premiere in Philippine theaters on May 17.

Meanwhile, Richards and his “Hello, Love, Again” co-star Kathryn Bernardo were earlier given the box-office king and queen title by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines, a group of cinema owners and operators in the country.

The recognition was in relation to the success of their movie, which became the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time at a record ₱1.6 billion worldwide.  /ra