The rivalry between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel has been well documented for years, since they started working together on the Fast and Furious movies. Now “The Rock” claims that the rest of the crew on set was happy that he spoke up against his co-star.
It goes without saying that both Johnson and Diesel are about as close to stereotypical alpha males as it gets, so naturally they butted heads on the production of the Fast and Furious movies. The highly publicized beef included the pair having provisions in their contracts about both men getting the same damage on screen, and not having to look each other in the eye on screen.
At one point, The Rock made an Instagram post, calling out his co-star for being a “candy ass” and “too chicken s—t” to say anything to his face. Recently though, Dwayne spoke in an interview with Vanity Fair, where he explained that he regretted making this post, even if others on set told him they appreciated it.
“It caused a firestorm. Yet interestingly enough…[it was] as if every single crew member found their way to me and either quietly thanked me or sent me a note,” Johnson added.
“But, yeah, it wasn’t my best day, sharing that. I shouldn’t have shared that. Because at the end of the day, that goes against my DNA. I don’t share things like that. And I take care of that kind of bullsh—t away from the public. They don’t need to know that. That’s why I say it wasn’t my best day.
“I meant what I said. For sure. I mean what I say when I say it,” Johnson added. “But to express it publicly was not the right thing to do.”
That being said, Johnson knew that this was not the way he wanted to handle things. Therefore shortly after this post went viral, he had a conversation with Diesel, albeit one that was not exactly friendly.
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He explained that they simply agreed to respectfully disagree. They have different views as people, but they each earned some respect for each other through their discussion.
“I wouldn’t call it a peaceful meeting. I would call it a meeting of clarity. He and I had a good chat in my trailer, and it was out of that chat that it really became just crystal clear that we are two separate ends of the spectrum. And agreed to leave it there,” Dwayne Johnson said.
“[We are] philosophically two different people, and we approach the business of moviemaking in two very different ways. It’s the philosophy of going into work every day. Looking at everybody as equal partners. And looking at the studio as equal partners. And looking at the crew, regardless of where you’re at, either on the call sheet or otherwise, as equal partners—with respect and with humility, and being respectful of the process and every other human being who is putting in just as much time, just as much hard work and sweat equity, if not more. And I think it’s always been important to me to always be straight up and look somebody in the eye. And if you say you’re going to do something, do it.”
While the brunt of this feud was at its highest around 2016, the beef between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson was back in the spotlight earlier this year. This spanned from an interview with Diesel, where he tried to explain that he was giving The Rock tough love, to help improve his acting.
This was not something that Dwayne took kindly too, feeling somewhat disrespected by the comments. However he explained that he knows that he gives his all in every role he plays, regardless of what Vin thinks.
“One part of me feels like there’s no way I would dignify any of that bullshit with an answer. But here’s the truth…I go into every project giving it my all. And if I feel that there’s some things that need to be squared away and handled and taken care of, then I do it. And it’s just that simple,” Johnson said.
“So when I read that, just like everybody else, I laughed. I laughed hard. We all laughed. And somewhere I’m sure Fellini is laughing too.”
It seems clear to say that Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel will never get along in real life. That said, there does seem to be a certain level of respect for one another, even if they have different philosophies on life.
Read also: Dwayne Johnson Shares How He Stays Motivated To Get Through A Workout
Published: 13 October, 2021 | 2:04 PM EDT
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