Credit: Jaimie Trueblood; Courtesy Universal Pictures
Vin Diesel Feud
In August 2016, Johnson aired his grievances with Diesel with an Instagram post where he complained about his costar’s work ethic (without directly naming him).
“Some [male costars] conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t,” Johnson wrote. “The ones that don’t are too chicken s*** to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses. When you watch this [Fast & Furious] movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you’re right.”
Diesel responded in 2017 by telling USA Today that the public had blown his dispute with Johnson out of proportion.
“I don’t think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way,” Diesel insisted. “I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don’t think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, he’s Uncle Dwayne.”
The actor then said, “I protect the franchise. I protect everybody, including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he’ll ever know. And it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that’s me.”
The feud seemingly blew over after the release of 2019’s Hobbs & Shaw until Diesel told Men’s Health in 2021 that he’d used “tough love” to motivate his costar on set.
“My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be,” he said. “As a producer to say, ‘OK, 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.”
When Diesel expressed hopes that Hobbs would be re-integrated into the main Fast & Furious films following his 2019 spinoff, Johnson publicly declined the invitation.
“I wished them well,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “I wish them well on Fast 9. And I wish them the best of luck on Fast 10 and Fast 11 and the rest of the Fast & Furious movies they do that will be without me.”
Despite his vow, Johnson did reprise his role as Hobbs for an uncredited mid-credits cameo in Fast X in 2023. Fast X director Louis Leterrier took credit for Johnson and Diesel’s reconciliation.
“The peace treaty … I kind of [brokered it]. We all did. Ultimately, the movie did,” Leterrier told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “We sort of looked at each other from across the room and winked a few months back, saying, ‘We should work together.’ And then I had this idea and I presented it to the producers and the studio. And then we reached out to Dwayne and his team, and said, ‘Just come and watch the movie. You have to love the movie first.’ So, he came to see the movie and really loved it, and then we started talking. It was very smooth.”
Johnson said via an Instagram video in 2023 that it was “incredibly personally gratifying and satisfying and exciting” to see Fast & Furious fans excited by his return.
“First of all the secret of Hobbs being back … that was a secret that was impossible to keep,” he said. “Despite us having our differences, me and Vin, we’ve been like brothers for years, and despite our differences, when you lead with — number one, resolve — but also you think about the future and plans that are much bigger than ourselves. Those bigger plans are the buildouts. They are the North Star.”
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