If you’d have told us back in 2001 that The Fast And The Furious franchise would be spawning its seventh instalment 14 years later, we’d laugh in your face and think you’ve drank too much Corona (the favourite product placement beer in the movie by Vin Diesel’s character Dom Toretto).
A lifetime of fast cars, cringe-worthy dialogue and many an incredulous action sequence later, we’re the ones eating our words as we sit opposite an emotional Diesel, who’s in Beijing to promote exactly that.
Even with an ever-changing list of actors, writers, directors and producers, the franchise about street racers-turned-elite squad of fast driving superheroes is still going strong, clocking billions of dollars in the international box office with each movie.
However, Furious 7 — as it’s also known — is markedly different. It marks a poignant end of an era and the epic story arc of the friendship between Diesel’s character Dom and Brian O’Connor, who was played by Paul Walker, the co-star who passed away in a car accident in 2013, midway through filming the movie at the age of 40.
A fan favourite and the one star who was loyal to the franchise (he appears in all installments except the second one), Walker’s death had been heartbreaking for fans, cast and crew alike — especially since it’s a franchise built on family, brotherhood togetherness and survival at all costs.
The Furious 7 cast has been publicly broken up about Walker’s death. Diesel, in particular, has previously broken down in front of the cameras and during our interview, choked up many times.
“This movie is emotionally so much more powerful that anything the world would expect,” said Diesel, who had named his new baby girl Pauline in honour of his friend.
“It’s the seventh chapter and it marks the end of an era in many ways. We had a good 15-year-run. It started off the Brian and Dom duo, so it’s very special and bitter sweet and we’re all very proud.”
He paused, holding back the tears, before quipping in true Vin Diesel-style: “Hey, it’s Fast And Furious — you’re not supposed to cry!”
Q: You and Paul were best friends, brothers, family. Can you share something about Paul Walker that nobody else knows about?
A: There is so much… (pauses) There are so many memories. First of all, you have to understand that I have a lot of best friends and I have a lot of brothers. And I have a really big family. But I only had one Paul Walker. The whole cast and crew will tell you beautiful stories about who he is and share great tales of his philanthropic heart. But very selfishly for me, he was the only one in my universe who knew what was like to go from nobody to somebody. From anonymity to icon. There was nobody else I ever talk to about it, nobody who could ever understand.
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