“That was healing for me”: Vin Diesel Made Peace With a Saddening Loss With His MCU Debut as Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy
The Dominic Toretto of Hollywood, Vin Diesel has been the face of the billion-dollar action drama franchise for more than two decades. The 56-year-old actor collaborated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians Of The Galaxy in 2014. He was the voice behind the adult version of Groot in the James Gunn-led franchise.
According to the Fast and Furious star, his association with the superhero franchise helped him heal from the untimely demise of his dear friend and actor Paul Walker. The actor died in an unfortunate car accident in 2013 in Santa Clarita, California.
Vin Diesel On His Marvel Association With Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Fast and Furious franchise is one big family for all its members. Understandably, after the death of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel was devastated. The unfortunate incident took place when the seventh installment of Fast and Furious was being filmed. He did not want to go ahead with Furious 7. Universal Pictures even halted the production of the movie, and during the four-month break from the franchise, Vin Diesel collaborated with Marvel.
He recorded for the character of Groot in 2014’s Guardians Of The Galaxy. His MCU debut as Groot helped him heal from the loss of his dear friend and brother Paul Walker. During an interview with Variety in 2015, the actor revealed his healing experience that came along with voicing the character of Groot during his four-month break from Furious 7. Vin Diesel confessed-
“That was healing for me. To play a character that could reincarnate, rejuvenate, and represent life as trees do.”
Vin Diesel was so overwhelmed by the loss of Paul Walker, that he had trouble returning to the set of Furious 7. During an interview with Variety via Popsugar, the actor spoke about why Furious 7 became one of the most difficult movies to shoot. He said-
“I’m supposed to be in killer mode . . . I went through three boxes of tissues, and I felt so bad. I felt so embarrassed. I had always been the kind of actor that other actors respect. I was just failing so hard. My nose was running and my eyes were tearing. I had to walk off-set to try to get all the fluids out. I couldn’t contain my emotion, and thus it became the toughest film I ever had to shoot,”
The actor’s four-month sabbatical from the franchise and voicing for the character of Groot helped him make peace with the loss of his co-star Paul Walker.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Director On Working With Vin Diesel
James Gunn collaborated with Vin Diesel for the 2014 released Guardians Of The Galaxy. During an interview with Variety, the DC co-head spoke about Vin Diesel’s condition. He said-
“Vin was in a very sensitive place. It was not long after Paul passed away. I think the simplicity of Groot, the innocence of Groot and the creativity of Groot was a big relief for Vin.”
He further added-
“But when Vin came along, the character suddenly became real and most people’s favorite character. Vin has so much to do with that. Who knows what form Groot will be in by that time? I certainly hope Vin is involved.”
Vin Diesel created a unique sound on his own for the character of Groot and he used to practice it over the phone with James Gunn. As reported by Variety, while speaking about the unique voice of Groot, Vin Diesel said-
“It took a lot of time and meditation. He needed to have this guttural voice, without always being so menacing. I just played with it and played with it, and I was inspired by my 3-year-old son at the time, who I was playing the role for. I always imagined the character would have to connect to a child.”
Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 is currently available on Disney+
