MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - It was a sand-colored carpet rollout on South Beach as Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson joined the rest of the cast of the upcoming “Baywatch” movie for its world premiere, Saturday night.
“Some vodka, hold on,” quipped star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as he took a swig of what appeared to be bottled water, moments after he had posed for pictures and waved at screaming fans along Lummus Park, right on the sand off Ocean Drive.
“Baywatch” pays tribute to the 1990s TV series it’s based on, but it takes the source material to a whole new level.
Zac Efron, Johnson’s co-star in the highly anticipated early summer release, said the film’s cast and crew were given free rein content-wise. “We were given creative license to make it more raunchy, more sexy,” he said.
Johnson said they aimed to sustain a balancing act. “We wanted to make sure that we nailed the tone,” he said. “We also wanted to make sure that we took advantage of the rated ‘R’ platform, right? As you see in the movie, there are a lot of things that are very funny — and are clearly rated ‘R.'”
Johnson stars as Mitch Buchannon, the role made famous by David Hasselhoff, who makes a cameo in the new film. The iconic TV vet was also on hand at Saturday’s soiree. 7News cameras captured him posing for the paparazzi alongside Johnson.
Hasselhoff said he hopes the film’s release brings on a revival of all things “Baywatch.” “Now with the movie coming out, I don’t know, maybe the series will come back,” he said.
Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kelly Rohrbach plays the Pamela Anderson role of CJ Parker. “We went there with it. It’s very sassy,” she said.
The actress was then interrupted by 7News entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet, who apologized profusely after stepping on her toe.
But Rohrbach shrugged it off. “That’s OK. No worries,” she said.
The majority of the new film was shot in South Florida, which gave co-star Ilfenesh Hadera a golden opportunity. “Prior to ‘Baywatch,’ I hadn’t spent any time in Florida,” she said. “I think I’d been to Miami once for a night, and it has a very special place in my heart after spending a month here.”
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a “Baywatch” movie without some slow-motion running. As it turns out, Johnson watches Channel 7. More specifically, he caught Van Vliet’s attempt to capture the show’s signature move.
“I saw you running on the beach,” said Johnson.
“And what did you think?” asked Van Vliet.
“I thought you sucked,” said Johnson.
“Baywatch” splashes into theaters May 25.
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