Two of the biggest action movie stars, Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, have faced off in both the Fast & Furious movies and in real life.
It may be a little shocking when that friendship fails to follow suit off-screen when two alpha male Hollywood superstars partner up to star in a blockbuster movie that promotes the significance of loyalty and unshakeable familial bonds. As rivals-turned-allies Luke Hobbs and Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious series, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel face off as two of the greatest movie action heroes.
Fans on Facebook had expressed a strong desire to see the action stars square off on screen, so when Johnson agreed to play the Federal Agent in 2011’s Fast Five, Diesel and director Justin Lin modified the part to instead suit the actor. The Fast & Furious trilogy has earned a reputation for its heart-pounding street racing, suspenseful heists, and gravity-defying stunts. The movie’s stunning ensemble cast has also contributed to the success of the films.
Fast & Furious actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson accelerates
The addition of Johnson to the Fast cast has received a lot of positive feedback from viewers, who adore the tough-guy connection between the actor and Diesel. The former WWE star’s performance was adored by Empire, who wrote in their review, “How to re-ignite an aging franchise? Add Johnson to the mix. The Fast Five feature that is by far the best… A hulking Dwayne Johnson dominates the film. Dwayn leaves a trail of testosterone in his wake. Through the seventh film, he would return to the role, but conflict between Johnson and Diesel would eventually force him to break ways.
His departure was first made public in 2016, when the actor called unnamed franchise actors “candy assess” in an Instagram post that has since been deleted, setting off a media and fans frenzy. Many people were curious as to what transpired between Johnson and Diesel after a beef between the two was widely rumored and subsequently proven in the years that followed. Johnson was technically still a part of the franchise, though, as he starred alongside action legend Jason Statham in the 2019 blockbuster hit spin-off Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, which brought in $760 million worldwide and gave the series a new direction. Let’s go deeply into the turbulent bond between the macho leading guys.
A Cryptic Instagram Post
When Johnson published a lengthy Instagram post in August 2016 about finishing The Fate of the Furious and his experience with the franchise, it created quite a stir. The actor praised the hard-working cast and crew as well as his female co-stars, but he also chastised several of his male cast members without specifically naming any of them. Johnson was allegedly making fun of Diesel, according to rumors that eventually proved to be true when Diesel posted a strange video on Instagram with the caption, “Honestly, give me a second and I will tell you everything. Everything.” Diesel’s remark merely served to reignite the conflict, despite the fact that he never followed through with his justification.
They’re ‘bros,’ guy,’ Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez said when asked about the conflict by Us Weekly. They are friends, and in the grand scheme of things, even friends eventually have to put aside their differences in order to make a film for multicultural audiences everywhere. Diesel reportedly echoed Rodriquez’s comments when he remarked, “I don’t think the world truly appreciates how close we are, in a weird way,” in an interview with USA Today in the spring of 2017. I believe that some events may have been exaggerated. That wasn’t, in my opinion, his aim. He recognizes how hard I work at this franchise, I’m sure of it. He is known as Uncle Dwayne in my home.
A fellow Fast & Furious actor, Tyrese Gibson, entered the fray when he appeared to blame Johnson for the delay of F9, alleging the actor was trying to make the franchise about him. This led some to wonder if the entire incident was a marketing trick. Once more turning to social media, Diesel wrote an emotional Instagram post in which he reflected on his time working on the enduring franchise and the upcoming ninth installment. He claimed that no one person was to blame and that exciting things were in store for the Fast & Furious franchise in the future.
Johnson and Diesel: Just Love?
Fans of the series quickly noticed that Johnson and Diesel did not appear in any sequences together in The Fate of the Furious, and when asked explicitly about this, Johnson responded to Rolling Stone by saying, “That is right. No scenes involving us were filmed together. Though it appeared as though the Jumanji star had a change of heart regarding his friendship with Diesel after the huge success of Hobbs & Shaw in 2019, thanking him in an Instagram video: “I want to thank brother Vin for his support of Hobbs & Shaw before concluding. Toretto, I’ll see you shortly.”
Any suspicion of a conflict between Johnson and Diesel seemed to stop once the latter extended what appeared to be an olive branch. When F9 finally debuted in June 2021, it unsurprisingly dominated the box office, taking in more than $1.2 billion worldwide. Despite appearing to have a peace agreement for a few years, the drama between the two quickly resurfaced as Diesel said in a June 2021 interview with Men’s Health that the disagreement was the consequence of “tough love” and that the tension was more between a producer and an actor. Diesel commented, “We had to get there and sometimes, at that time, I could offer a lot of tough love,” when asked about the transformation of Johnson into Luke Hobbs.Although not Fellini-esque, I would go to great lengths to secure performances for any project I was working on.
Johnson and Diesel’s Everlasting Goodbye
Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve wished them well,” appearing to be certain that he will be leaving the Fast & Furious franchise in July 2021. I hope Fast 9 goes well for them. And I wish them luck with Fast 10 and Fast 11, as well as the remaining Fast & Furious films they make without me. In response to Diesel’s earlier comments and “tough love” assertion, the celebrity couldn’t help but chuckle and told Vanity Fair, “I laughed, and I laughed hard.” Although Johnson now realizes that using social media to vent his displeasure with Diesel wasn’t the best course of action, he stands by the original statement:I really do mean what I say when I say it, but it wasn’t appropriate to say it in public.
The incessant back-and-forth between the action stars appeared to come to a pause, but it soon picked up steam again when Diesel publicly begged Johnson to join him for the third and final episode of the movie in November 2021. In a letter he posted on Instagram addressed to his “little brother Dwayne,” he begged the Jungle Cruise actor to return for F10, citing his own kids and the late Paul Walker to support his case. “But you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play,” he pleaded to Johnson.Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I’m hoping you rise to the challenge and achieve your goals.
Diesel’s extremely public appeal didn’t sit well with Johnson, who referred to it as a “manipulation” and said that the two had already spoken in private about his clear determination not to rejoin the franchise. The actor’s use of Walker’s name in an attempt to win him back offended him, and he was angry that the ongoing tug-of-war obscured the good feelings he had for the show.
Johnson stated in a CNN interview that her ultimate goal was to leave the Fast & Furious franchise with thanks and humility. Unfortunately, this public discussion has clouded the issue. Nobody really knows what happened between the famous actors, but it is certain that they won’t be working together again anytime soon.