The "Fast & Furious" star's Instagram post topped 400,000 likes.
The Fast & Furious's latest installment F9 hit theaters over the weekend, and to celebrate, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) paid tribute with a witty highway sign. What they probably weren't expecting was a response from one of the film's biggest stars.
"Driving Fast and Furious? That's Ludacris," a sign read over Interstate 95 in the Richmond area.
Ludacris, the Atlanta-based rapper who plays Tej Parker in the franchise, was clearly tickled because he posted a picture of the sign on his Instagram account.
"Virginia I Love You Back!" he exclaimed in a caption on Saturday.
Born Christopher Bridges, the rapper-turned-actor made his debut with 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious and has since starred in six follow-up films. F9, which dropped on June 25, was originally set to premiere in April 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic put its release on the backburner. However, it's already set to be one of the year's biggest blockbusters—despite a nearly 2-year delay, the film has already grossed over $400 million worldwide, with $70 million reported on opening day alone. Pretty impressive for a pandemic year!
Besides eliciting chuckles from commuters, the use of catchy slogans on highway signs also serves a wider purpose—to promote road safety. VDOT spokesperson Jason Bond told WSL-TV in Roanoke, "Anything that we can do to tie into popular culture or what people can relate to is certainly a way to get those safety messages out there and hopefully change driver behavior."
Ludacris' post drew thousands of comments from his 13+ million followers, including The Fast Saga's official Instagram page who wrote "The whole world is on the Fast vibe this weekend."
Normally, it's regular people who get star-struck by a famous person, and not the other way around. But Ludacris' reaction shows no one—not even mega movie stars—is above a little bit of flattery!
Fast & Furious fans, have you seen F9 yet? How does it stack up against the rest of the franchise? Sound off in the comments.
