Celebs assemble for Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige’s Walk Of Fame star
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Hollywood producer and Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige (fifth from right) received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
PHOTO: AFP
The superheroes, and even some villains, gathered at the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in Los Angeles, California, on July 25 for one man: Marvel Studios’ president and film producer Kevin Feige.
The 51-year-old, who is the primary producer and chief architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise (2008 to present), was honoured with the 2,785th star on the famed stretch. The landmark tourist attraction has the names of film stars, directors and producers embedded into five-pointed stars on the pavement.
Many of the MCU’s stars showed up at Mr Feige’s ceremony. Among them were the cast of the new blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine – Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Emma Corrin.
Captain America trilogy (2011 to 2016) stars Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan; Captain Marvel (2019) actress Brie Larson; television series Loki (2021 to 2023) star Ke Huy Quan; Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) lead Chris Pratt; and Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021) lead Simu Liu were present as well.
Mr Feige is credited with being the driving creative force behind the MCU, the highest-grossing film franchise in history. Its 34 films have collectively earned over US$30 billion (S$40.3 billion) at the global box office.
In a speech at the ceremony, Reynolds, 47, who plays superhuman mercenary Deadpool, said: “His care for these characters, and, more importantly, his care for the people who play these characters – it just speaks volumes of who he is. And it is genuinely moving to me in every way.”
He added that Mr Feige is the “anchor being” of the MCU. “He keeps the Marvel Universe alive and well and vital, and without him, none of this works.”
Jackman, 55, recalled that Mr Feige treated him to steak after his audition for Wolverine in X-Men (2000). The actor thought he had failed to get the role.
He said: “I don’t know whether he felt sorry for me, or whatever, but he took the time to take care of me.”
In a humorous gesture, Jackman presented Mr Feige with a US$15 steakhouse gift certificate at the ceremony.
In a recent interview with Variety, Mr Feige said he had never dreamed of getting a star on the Walk Of Fame as a behind-the-scenes producer.
He added: “The notion that there’ll be my name on that street for forever more is extremely, extremely meaningful to me.”