The Rock and Vin Diesel had one of the most high-profile feuds in Hollywood, with Dwayne Johnson refusing to star alongside the Fast and Furious star.
The pair traded public blows before reconciling just recently in order for The Rock to return to the Fast and Furious franchise.
Their feud included Johnson calling Vin Diesel ‘chicken s**t’ but will have left fans wondering how their relationship deteriorated to that point.
“Chicken s**t”
In August 2016, Dwayne Johnson released a post on Instagram that slammed his male co-stars on Fate of the Furious, the eighth film in the series and Johnson’s fourth.
He posted on Instagram saying: “There's no other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this one.
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“My female costars are always amazing and I love'em. My male costars, however, are a different story.
“Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t.
“The ones that don't are too chicken sh*t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.
“When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I'm not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling — you're right.”
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Though Vin Diesel was not specifically named, the subsequent feuding implies that he was indeed part of the problem in Johnson’s eyes.
Vin Diesel speaks out
Vin Diesel has commented on the issue on multiple occasions.
The actor first responded by saying that the pair are good friends, adding: “I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don't think that was his intention... In my house, he’s Uncle Dwayne.”
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He later said in an interview with Men’s Health of The Rock’s character Luke Hobbs: “My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be.
“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.
“We had to get there and sometimes, at that time, I could give a lot of tough love.”
The Rock responds and pulls out of future Fast and Furious films
The wrestler and actor admitted in an interview ahead of the release of Jungle Cruise that he wished the cast and crew of the Fast and Furious films for Fast 9, 10, 11 and ‘the rest of the Fast & Furious movies they do that will be without me.’
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He went on to later say in a Vanity Fair piece of Vin Diesel’s ‘tough love’ comments: “Unlike [Vin Diesel], I did not come from the world of theatre.
“I came up differently and was raised differently.
“I came from a completely different culture and environment. And I go into every project giving it my all.
“When I read that, just like everybody else, I laughed. I laughed hard. We all laughed. Somewhere I'm sure Fellini is laughing too.”
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Though he claimed that the initial Instagram post was not ‘his best day’, he stood by his comments that he would not return and said that ‘to express it publicly was not the right thing to do’.
Vin Diesel calls on The Rock to return
The Fast and Furious actor later called on The Rock to return to the franchise with a picture of their two characters on Instagram along with the following caption: “My little brother Dwayne... the time has come.
“The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house.
“There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes... but the time has come.”
Vin Diesel went on to refer to Paul Walker, aka ‘Pablo’, saying: “Legacy awaits. I told you years ago that I was going to fulfill my promise to Pablo. I swore that we would reach and manifest the best Fast in the finale that is 10!”
He finished by saying: “I say this out of love... but you must show up, do not leave the franchise idle you have a very important role to play. Hobbs can’t be played by no other. I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny.”
The Rock calls the post ‘manipulation’… but comes back anyway
The Rock spoke to CNN in which he slammed the post from Vin Diesel, saying: “I was very surprised by Vin’s recent post.
“This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly - and privately - that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return.
“Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death.
“Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding.”
Despite this the director of Fast X Louis Leterrier managed to create peace between the pair, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting the filmmaker convinced Johnson to appear in the film.
Johnson cameoed at the end of Fast X, has since announced a Hobbs solo spin-off film, and is set to appear in Fast X: Part II.
Topics: Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Fast and Furious, Instagram, TV and Film, Film, Celebrity, Entertainment
Michael Slavin