The Rock on his beef with Vin Diesel, casts doubt on Fast & Furious 9 role
The beef between The Rock and Vin Diesel is real.
For a while, it seemed like perhaps it was just a brilliant rumour, that the two Fast & Furious frontmen clashed on-set, leading to Dwayne Johnson’s now infamous social media outburst, where he branded some of his male co-stars ‘candy asses’, ‘unprofessional’ and ‘chicken s**t’.
But it seems that they did indeed fall out. And Johnson is happy to keep things tense too.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, he was confronted with the fact that his character and Diesel’s had no scenes together in Fast & Furious 8.
“That is correct,” Johnson confirmed. “We were not in any scenes together.
“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.”
Asked if he’d be in Fast & Furious 9, he added: “I’m not quite sure. Right now I’m concentrating on making the spinoff as good as it can be.”
Johnson is set to star in a spin-off from the series, focussing on his character Agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s mercenary Deckard Shaw, due out next year.
However, returning to his feelings for Diesel, he then delivers the killer line.
“But I wish him all the best, and I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have.” He considers this, then lets out a big, sly laugh. “Actually, you can erase that last part about ‘no ill will.’ We’ll just keep it with the clarity.”
Johnson has been much more diplomatic in the past.
In discussing the alleged spat last year, he told Entertainment Tonight: “Just like, in life, you have different philosophies and people have different fundamental philosophies on how you do things.”
For those lamenting the fallout, here they are in happier times.
Fast & Furious 9 is due for release in April, 2020.
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