Vin Diesel takes the high road in ongoing "Fast 8" feud with Dwayne Johnson
Things are certainly getting awkward in the “Fast and Furious” family. After Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson called out several unnamed male co-stars from the franchise’s eighth installment, many speculated that he was actually referencing Vin Diesel.
A source confirmed to ET at the time that Diesel was the main subject of The Rock’s Instagram rant after showing up late to set several times. Though the “XXX” actor has not directly acknowledged the beef, he has posted several sweet messages to his “Fast 8” family after wrapping up shooting on the film. On Friday, he took to Facebook Live to share some more details with his fans.
Posted by Vin Diesel on Friday, August 19, 2016
“Know this, without you, I would not be doing ‘Fast 8,’” Diesel said.
He went on to note some casting and plot changes that came about at the request of the franchise’s avid fan base.
“The reason we brought Dwayne Johnson into ‘Fast 5’ was because of you,” Diesel said. “There was a girl named Jan Kelly who said, ‘I would love to see you work together on screen.’ So the role that was originally written for Tommy Lee Jones, we gave it to Dwayne and he shined in it.”
Diesel also praised some of the franchise’s newest stars, including legendary British actress Helen Mirren.
“One of the best scenes I had in ‘Fast 8’ was working with Helen Mirren. It was so surreal. She’s such a wonderful, wonderful talent. It was such a blessing,” he said.
And though Diesel has been singing Johnson’s praises, the former WWE wrestler had no kind words for him. On Friday, The Rock posted another Instagram message after wrapping, in which he thanked Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Tyrese Gibson, before giving a blanket thanks to the “Fast 8” family.