While there may have been drama on the set of the latest 'Fast & Furious' sequel, actor Vin Diesel expressed his admiration for the new 'Fast 8' cast member Helen Mirren during a Facebook Live stream.
After receiving an award from Facebook for raking in more 100 million followers on his official page, Diesel gave thanks to his fans for taking part in the casting of the past ‘Fast & Furious’ movies. In particular, the producer-director attributed the casting of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as well as Letty’s (Michelle Rodriguez) return to their moviegoers' response.
“And then of course, there’s another person who you all said, ‘Get her in this movie,’ which was Helen Mirren,” the father-of-three shared. “One of the best days I had on ‘Fast 8,’ the best scenes I did on ‘Fast 8’ was working with Helen Mirren. It was so special and so surreal, and she’s such a wonderful, wonderful talent. It was such a blessing and I’ll always remember the fact that we worked together.”
Moreover, Diesel looked back over ten years ago, after casting Judi Dench in ‘The Chronicles of Riddick,’ Michael Caine suggested that it would be ideal for him to work with Mirren in the future.
Meanwhile, 'Fast 8' cast memberTyrese Gibson has shown support for Diesel amid rumors that the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ cast member is feuding with The Rock.
Following the unexpected dramatic turn of events on the ‘Fast 8’ set when Johnson called out several of his fellow male actors and referred to them with harsh names, Gibson took to Instagram to defend Diesel, who is supposedly the target of the semi-retired professional wrestler’s rant.
“Spreading love always….. without saying I’ve had too many moments to counts, too many heart too hearts, we’ve celebrated in too many countries, too many exchanges, too many play dates with our angels…… Our brotherhood and every moment has inspired me to be a better man and father,” Gibson wrote. “So much strength to pull from….. I’m so f—- proud to call you my family and my brother.”
The 37-year-old actor seemingly spoke about the feud, stating that he is “learning so much about sitting still and being centered in the [midst] of all of this unexpected energy.”
Gibson has remained with the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise since the first film and has appeared alongside Diesel in four of the movies.
“I’ve always said that if ONLY people knew how hard you work to protect this franchise and characters, minds would be blown,” Gibson continued, while adding, “And if no one else will jump out there and stand up I will – You’re my brother for life let’s keep it positive and keep rockin.”
While many of the ‘Fast 8’ cast members has remained mum about the supposed feud, Ludacris shared a throwback photo on Instagram, showing a number of his ‘Fast 8’ costars –but without The Rock.
As reported by PEOPLE, an insider explained that the Diesel-Johnson feud did not happen overnight, saying that “tension has been building up for months.”
The ‘Fast 8’ release date is set on Apr. 14, 2017.
