Vin Diesel took to Instagram Sunday to ask Dwayne Johnson to “rise to the occasion” and return for the Fast Saga finale. Furthermore, Diesel tells Johnson that “the world waits the finale of Fast 10”. The actor who plays Dom also reminding Johnson that his children still refer to him as “Uncle Dwayne”. In addition, Diesel refers to his promise to Paul Walker that he would “manifest” the best possible finale. It is clear that Johnson playing his role of Hobbs is essential, in Diesel’s mind.
The Beef
Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel have been involved in a beef. Furthermore, Johnson’s new Vanity Fair interview fanned the flames further.
But behind the scenes there had been a growing schism between Johnson and Vin Diesel, serious enough that Johnson only agreed to return for the series’ eighth installment, The Fate of the Furious, on the condition that he and Diesel shared no scenes. “I wanted to forgo drama,” he tells me. “I thought that that was the best thing to do. For everybody.”
Vanity Fair, November 2021
Before Johnson wrapped The Fate of the Furious, it appear he lumped Diesel in as a “candy ass”.
Johnson says that he and Diesel are “philosophically two different people, and we approach the business of moviemaking in two very different ways.” The faults he sees in Diesel seem pretty clear from this description he offers of his own contrasting philosophy: “It’s the philosophy of going into work every day. Looking at everybody as equal partners. And looking at the studio as equal partners. And looking at the crew, regardless of where you’re at, either on the call sheet or otherwise, as equal partners—with respect and with humility, and being respectful of the process and every other human being who is putting in just as much time, just as much hard work and sweat equity, if not more. And I think it’s always been important to me to always be straight up and look somebody in the eye. And if you say you’re going to do something, do it.”
Vanity Fair, November 2021
“Tough Love”
Diesel’s June 2021 Men’s Health interview didn’t help in the relationship. He referred to himself using “tough love” with Johnson.
“It was a tough character to embody, the Hobbs character,” Diesel says. “My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be. As a producer to say, Okay, we’re going to take Dwayne Johnson, who’s associated with wrestling, and we’re going to force this cinematic world, audience members, to regard his character as someone that they don’t know—Hobbs hits you like a ton of bricks. That’s something that I’m proud of, that aesthetic. That took a lot of work. We had to get there and sometimes, at that time, I could give a lot of tough love. Not Felliniesque, but I would do anything I’d have to do in order to get performances in anything I’m producing.”
Johnson responded in Vanity Fair with laughter at Diesel’s statements.
“One part of me feels like there’s no way I would dignify any of that bullshit with an answer. But here’s the truth. I’ve been around the block a lot of times. Unlike him, I did not come from the world of theater. And, you know, I came up differently and was raised differently. And I came from a completely different culture and environment. And I go into every project giving it my all. And if I feel that there’s some things that need to be squared away and handled and taken care of, then I do it. And it’s just that simple. So when I read that, just like everybody else, I laughed. I laughed hard. We all laughed. And somewhere I’m sure Fellini is laughing too.”
Vanity Fair, November 2021
We await Johnson’s official response to Diesel’s out reach.
