If you’re a fan of Dwayne Johnson, there’s a chance that you might be a fan of his work as a professional wrestler. And if that’s the case, you’re probably pretty entertained by the shit-talking that goes on between himself and Vin Diesel, dating back years now. Well, in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Johnson goes into the falling out between Diesel and himself on the set of the ‘Fast & Furious’ films, and why it’s unlikely the two are ever going to be friends.
While the issues didn’t begin with the eighth “Fast & Furious” film, “The Fate of the Furious,” it seems as if the spat become public around that time in 2017. With tensions reportedly high from previous films, Johnson decided that for “The Fate of the Furious,” he would return, but only if he didn’t share any scenes with Diesel. This was to mitigate the drama.
“I wanted to forgo drama,” he said. “I thought that that was the best thing to do. For everybody.”
The drama, of course, didn’t go away. It all seemed to boil over with a now-deleted Instagram post where Johnson called unnamed male co-stars in that film “candy asses.” While he knows it wasn’t the best idea to post that, he still says, “I meant what I said.” All of this led to a meeting between Johnson and Diesel, which didn’t necessarily end with the two men shaking hands and becoming best buds.
“Well, there was a meeting,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t call it a peaceful meeting. I would call it a meeting of clarity. He and I had a good chat in my trailer, and it was out of that chat that it really became just crystal clear that we are two separate ends of the spectrum. And agreed to leave it there.”
For Johnson, he sees the two of them as “philosophically” different people. What does he exactly mean by that? While he doesn’t talk about Diesel’s philosophy, Johnson does talk about how he acts on set, inferring that perhaps his co-star doesn’t do these things.
“It’s the philosophy of going into work every day. Looking at everybody as equal partners. And looking at the studio as equal partners,” Johnson said. “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.”
Recently, before the release of the blockbuster ‘Fast & Furious’ sequel, “F9,” which Johnson was not part of, Diesel stoked the flames between the men even more. Diesel, comparing himself to Federico Fellini, took it upon himself to openly take credit for Johnson’s performance in the previous films, which seemed like nothing less than a bit of a condescending slap in the face. In response to that, Johnson aims to take the high road.
“I’ve been around the block a lot of times,” explained Johnson. “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.”
Obviously, the issues between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel seem deep, personal, and long-lasting. It’s doubtful these two men are going to suddenly become besties. That said, it’ll be interesting to see if they can put their issues aside to work on the upcoming two-part finale of the main “Fast & Furious” film series? As of now, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, but who knows?