Family ain't the only Fast and Furious buzzword. The feud between original franchise star Vin Diesel and series latecomer Dwayne Johnson has been addressed by Diesel, who has explained that the whole thing was orchestrated on purpose.
"My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be," he told Men's Health while promoting Fast and Furious 9. "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," he continued. "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."
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One thing to note: Johnson already had multiple feature-film credits under his belt by the time he took on Fast Five, his first movie in the Saga. The feud, meanwhile, erupted during the filming of Fast and Furious 8. But it's fun seeing Diesel refer to maestro Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2).
Have things settled down between Diesel and The Rock? While Johnson may star in Hobbes and Shaw, Justin Lin – who's down to direct the last two parts of the main Saga – isn't ruling out Johnson's return to the closing installments.
Fast and Furious 9 screeches into theaters on June 24. Before you visit the theater, check our ranking of the best Fast and Furious movies. For more on this summer's releases, check out the best upcoming movies coming our way.
