Benicio Del Toro attends red carpet movie premier; Event Cinemas, Sydney, Australia...

Savages enjoyed its red carpet premiere in Sydney, Australia tonight.

Savages star Benicio Del Toro told media meeting real ex-drug cartel members was a similar feeling to climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

"You go in strapped and you go in protected in some ways but you don't want to get too goofy or something like that, or you might fall off the bridge. Or you might just end up chopped liver," Del Toro told press.

Del Toro, who's in Australia to promote Savages, plays sadistic Mexican cartel enforcer Lado in the movie.

It's been reported that Del Toro was the one who took director Oliver Stone to Mexico to meet some "heavies" - a piece of news he found surprising.

"I was the one with the connections?" he says.

"That's people that believe the characters that I play.

"No, actually we went down to Mexico, but I wasn't the one with the connections."

Regardless, he says the meeting was terrifying but invaluable to him and the cast.

"We met some people down there (in Mexico), we met some people in LA (Los Angeles) too, on both sides of this war on drugs, and it was very interesting, very informative for the preparation of the characters," he says.

ABOUT SAVAGES:

Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Taylor-Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them.

When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon—with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (Travolta)—wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and manoeuvres in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

www.savagesmovie.com.au / www.facebook.com.au/universalpicturesau

Storyline:

Entrepreneurs Ben, a peaceful and charitable marijuana producer, and friend Chon, a former Navy SEAL, run a lucrative, homegrown industry - raising some of the best weed ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with Ophelia. Life is idyllic in their Southern California town... until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena and her enforcer, Lado, underestimate the unbreakable bond of the three friends, Ben and Chon - with the reluctant assistance of a dirty DEA agent - wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills.

Cast...

Blake Lively ...O

Taylor Kitsch ...Chon

Aaron Taylor-Johnson ...Ben (as Aaron Johnson) Jana Banker ...Volleyball Girl Candra Docherty ...Grow House Girl Patrick Fourmy ...Marijuana Distributor Gary Stretch ...Badass Biker Benicio Del Toro ...Lado

Director: Oliver Stone

Writers: Shane Salerno (screenplay), Don Winslow

Websites

Savages www.savagesmovie.com

Universal Pictures Australia www.universalpicturesaustralia.com

Event Cinemas www.eventcinemas.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr