Feuds are fairly commonplace in Hollywood. Most of the time, these feuds never see the light of day, due to the people involved acting with a little bit of discretion. However, in the case of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his ‘Fast and Furious’ co-star Vin Diesel, their feud played out fairly publicly. And now, this feud could mean the end of their collaboration in the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise.
Way back in 2016, Johnson posted some not-so-nice things on his Instagram account about a person he was working with on the set of “The Fate of the Furious.” While no names were given, the terms “chickenshit” and “candyasses” were thrown around. And many people deduced that the actor was, in fact, talking about Vin Diesel. Somehow, it seems, the two actors just couldn’t co-exist on the set of the action blockbuster, and it boiled over into social media.
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In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Johnson talks more about the feud and what the future holds for his character in the ‘Fast’ universe. First, the actor confirms what was rumored for a long time, by people who watched the latest ‘Fast’ film. Yes, Diesel and Johnson acted separately in their scenes. “That is correct,” confirms Johnson. “We were not in any scenes together.”
So, what’s the status of the relationship between the two action film heavyweights? “Vin and I had a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer. And what I came to realize is that we have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating. It took me some time, but I’m grateful for that clarity. Whether we work together again or not,” explained The Rock.
Thankfully the interviewer caught on to that last statement. Does this mean that The Rock is gone from the ‘Fast’ franchise?
“I’m not quite sure. Right now I’m concentrating on making the spinoff as good as it can be. But I wish him all the best, and I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have,” Johnson continues. “Actually, you can erase that last part about ‘no ill will.’ We’ll just keep it with the clarity.”
Uh oh.
So, just to unpack, there’s definitely some tension between the two guys, even today. However, Johnson is smart enough to not really expand on it further, using the old “I’m focusing on [Insert Diversionary Film] instead…” trick. While it’s true that Johnson is working on the upcoming ‘Hobbs’ spinoff film featuring Jason Statham, which is the first spinoff from the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise, this answer does seem to be just cryptic enough to leave anything open in the future.
And it’s important to understand the two actors’ standing in the industry right now. Diesel has tried to branch off from the ‘Fast’ franchise, with very little success, while Johnson has been releasing hit after hit, with his latest film, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” grossing a hair below $1 billion. ‘Fast and the Furious’ needs The Rock, but The Rock doesn’t need ‘Fast and Furious.’
Ultimately, because the studio will most definitely back a dump truck full of money in front of both men, it’s likely the two will be seen together again. But its definitely not going to be a chummy set, that’s for sure.