World’s Most Famous Taxi Driver Takes A Ride Along Yalta’s Roads
He won’t drive a taxi for a long time, at least, in Kiev. This actor was banned from entering Ukraine. But Yalta taxi drivers met the French actor, Samy Naceri, with open arms. He flew to Crimea to participate in the Peace Forum. What route did the actor take on the peninsula and does this mean that his next film will be in Russia? Olga Armyakova took a ride together with the most famous taxi driver in the world.
At rapid-fire pace along the winding streets of Yalta. In a convertible, with a dream driver, the most famous and popular taxi driver in the world.
Samy Naceri: «In Paris, I drive all the time, I really like driving. There was a time when I felt like a real taxi driver. I would give my friends a lift all the time. Now, I’m driving you around.
It’s in the movies that he drives at a furious pace making the tires burn, but in Yalta, Samy Naceri yields to pedestrians, and gives way to young drivers. And, it seems that while admiring the Crimean landscapes, he forgot to turn on the meter.
- It's amazingly unique nature. Crimea is an incredible place. By the way, how will you pay for my taxi?
- We only have cash. I'm afraid you won’t have enough money.
In Luc Besson's cult films, traveling with this taxi driver, for whom, it seems, there is nothing impossible, is a real test for passengers, and an incredible adventure for the audience. But this role, as Samy says, is in the past. He refused to act in the fifth part of Taxi. He has absolutely new creative projects ahead, including in Russia.
- Very soon in Moscow, we will meet with producers and writers. There is a very interesting scenario, it should be a good movie, in which, I hope, I will act. Part of the shooting, by the way, can be held in Crimea. Anyways, we have big plans.
It’s the Crimean taxi drivers who have big plans. They invited the French actor to join their union. On the legendary embankment of Yalta, the best drivers from all over the peninsula were awarded. The most dedicated fans asked to leave an autograph on the hood of the car.
People were persuading the French actor not to visit the peninsula, reminding about possible sanctions, but this visit is non-political. It’s about a desire to learn the truth about life in Crimea and to see everything with his own eyes.
In one of the most picturesque places of the peninsula, in the Massandra Palace, a grand presentation of the International Peace Prize took place. Public figures, politicians, businessmen, musicians, and all those for whom peace has no borders were among the guests.
The star of French cinema was among the laureates of the prestigious award. He hasn’t yet departed, but he has already promised to return. Samy Naceri plans to spend the next summer in Crimea with his family, and in France — to open an arts festival, to which he will surely invite the Crimeans.
Olga Armyakova, Konstantin Morozov, and Nikita Kalchenko, Vesti, the Republic of Crimea.