Vin Diesel says that his relationship with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is misunderstood, amid new reports of searing tension between the A-list action heroes over professional differences during last summer’s filming of The Fate of the Furious.
‘I don’t think the world really realizes how close we are, in a weird way,’ the 49-year-old actor, who’s played Dominic Toretto in the mega-successful street-racing series the past 16 years, told USA Today on Saturday.
Murmurs of problems between the film stars sprouted last summer after the normally-upbeat Johnson, 44, took to Facebook to grouse about his experience filming the forthcoming installment in the action anthology.
Forces collide: Vin Diesel, 49, (R) told USA Today Saturday that he and Dwayne Johnson (L) are ‘in a weird way’ close, amid multiple reports of problems between the powerful stars during the filming of The Fate of the Furious
The wrestler-turned-actor wrote in the August 8, 2016 post: ‘My female co-stars are always amazing, and I love ’em. My male co-stars 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 s**t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.’
Diesel addressed the simmering controversy to days later on his Instagram account in an equally-cryptic post, saying: ‘Give me a second and I will tell you everything. Everything.’
Speaking to the newspaper, Diesel said that ‘some things may be blown out of proportion’ in his interactions with Johnson, noting that he didn’t believe Johnson’s ‘intention’ was to kickstart a war between the two.
All good? Diesel, who’s also a producer in the action movie series, downplayed tensions with Johnson that reportedly stemmed from his on-set behavior. He was on the promotional trail in Berlin earlier this week
‘I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, he’s Uncle Dwayne,’ said Diesel, who’s also a producer on the franchise. ‘I protect the franchise. I protect everybody including Dwayne.
‘I protected Dwayne more than he’ll ever know. And it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that’s me.’
Despite Diesel’s efforts to douse the flames, multiple outlets have touched on the perceived hostility in the dynamic between the actors, stemming from professional differences.
Social media spat: Issues between the actors surfaced online last summer when Johnson called out ‘candy asses’ filming The Fate of the Furious
One TMZ report indicated that Johnson was frustrated with some of Diesel’s on-set maneuverings, notably his work schedule, as he didn’t want to start shooting until after 10 a.m.
A source told the New York Post that Johnson ‘thinks Vin’s disrespectful – and he is,’ adding that the A-list star, with his sweltering career, ‘was the only one who could legitimately stand up and bust’ on Diesel for the perceived slights.
The paper noted that while Johnson was conspicuously absent from promoting the movie March 29 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, despite previously promoting two of his other films at the Sin City convention: Baywatch and Jumanji. A source told the paper that ‘Johnson and Diesel can’t stand to be in the same place at the same time anymore’ amid simmering tensions from filming.
Leverage: Insiders told the NY Post that Johnson, with his fame and riches, was virtually the only star on set in position to speak up about his issues with Diesel’s conduct
Art imitates life: The Rock said that his ‘blood is legit boiling’ in some of the scenes in the upcoming movie
