Real Reason Why Vin Diesel Never Lost a Fight in $7.3 Billion Franchise
Vin Diesel is known as one of the highest-grossing actors in the world and is most widely known for playing Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise. Based on Vibe Magazine’s 1998 article, Racer X by Ken Li, 2001’s The Fast and the Furious was written by Gary Scott Thompson, David Ayer, and Erik Bergquist. The franchise is known to be one of the biggest and most popular media franchises across the world.
Over the years, starring Dominic Toretto and Xander Cage, Vin Diesel has attained popularity as an action hero. It goes without saying that the actor’s commitment to the Fast & Furious franchise and his dedication to promoting the movie has helped the franchise garner the attention and popularity it has today. But fans have been curious about why Vin Diesel has never lost a single fight in the franchise. Let’s get to know the real reason.
Also read: Fast and Furious 11 Will Reportedly Go “Back to the basics”: Budget and Story Details, Revealed
Vin Diesel’s contract clause states he can’t lose fights
In 2019, a report from the Wall Street Journal went ahead to uncover a very surprising detail about Fast & Furious franchise actors Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Jason Statham. The report said,
“According to producers and crew members on the films, Mr. Statham, 51 years old, negotiated an agreement with the studio that limits how badly he can be beaten up on screen. Mr. Diesel, 52, had his younger sister, a producer on the films; police the number of punches he takes. And Mr. Johnson, 47, enlists producers, editors and fight coordinators to help make sure he always gives as good as he gets.”
The report further said,
“It’s like that old trope where an actor comes in and wants more close ups. They want more muscles.”
According to The Things, Wall Street Journal’s report suggested that the three of them had tried using a point system which Vin Diesel came up with. But it was very complicated to keep up with who lands with how many punches. The reports noted,
“Mr. Diesel’s point plan was eventually abandoned once everyone decided it was too complicated…but it was an example of the delicate balance that must be reached on every set the men are on.”
A spokesperson for Universal shared with the publication that the fight sequence in the movie ensures that every character has his/her moment and all are seen as formidable opponents. They added that all characters are heroes of the movie.
Vin Diesel wasn’t the first choice for Dominic Toretto
It’s very hard to imagine a Fast & Furious franchise without Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto. The actor has over the years dedicated himself to giving his two hundred percent for every Fast movie he stars in. His commitment to his work and how the movie would look for the audience is pretty much unmatched. But the actor wasn’t the first choice for the role.
According to Neal H. Moritz, it was Timothy Olyphant who was eyed to play the character, which later went to Diesel. He said via Geeks,
“I had been working with Paul Walker on another movie, ‘Skulls’, and I gave him the script for The Fast and the Furious. Rob Cohen, who I had made, ‘The Rat Pack’ with, we gave him the script. The two of them liked the idea. And then we had to look for Dom Toretto. The studio said, ‘If you can get Timothy Olyphant to play that role we will green light the movie’.”
The producer said that the actor had turned down the role of Dom but he’s been curious about how the movie would have turned out if it was Olyphant and not Diesel. Mortiz continued to explain that he later went to Vin Diesel who proved his worth by starring in Saving Private Ryan and Boiler Room. The actor said yes and the rest is history.
The Fast and the Furious is streaming on Netflix.
