Vin Diesel was recently in Miami to celebrate the F9 trailer being released. While there, he remembered two special people in his life with Extra.
“Oh, my God, he’s always with me wherever I go,” he said of his friend and former co-star, Paul Walker. Six years ago, Paul died in a car accident. The two starred together in earlier Fast and Furious movies.
“He’s a huge part of why we make these movies. You feel his presence in almost in every frame. After every one of the sequels, after a premiere, him and I would walk off and he would say, ‘The best one is still in the can.’ That drives you to make the most powerful film you can make… There is nothing I wish more than he could be sitting next to me at the premiere.”
He also shared memories of Kobe Bryant, who died earlier this week in a helicopter crash. The accident also killed Kobe’s daughter Gianna and seven other passengers. “There is something so special about Kobe. It’s such a shock for us. The world is shocked to the core. He made this world a better world and for some reason… There’s the Pablo comparison, the Paul Walker comparison, and what’s ironic is [Kobe] would say to me, ‘How are you doing? I know you miss your brother, Pablo.'”
The new installment of the franchise will have Vin’s character Dom entering the world of fatherhood. He looks forward to the fan reaction and evolution of his character.
“F9” opens May 22.
