An empty spot at the table
Diesel, other actors felt his loss all over again during filming
‘Furious’ actors feel the loss of Paul Walker while filming, especially during the barbecue scene
Vin Diesel says he LOS ANGELES lost it emotionally once while shooting the first Fast & Furious movie without fellow star and friend Paul Walker. The acting “family” in The Fate
of the Furious — Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel and Tyrese Gibson — had gathered to shoot the traditional barbecue scene hosted by Diesel’s Dom Toretto.
That’s when Diesel, 49, says it fully hit him that Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013 while shooting 2015’s Furious 7, wouldn’t attend the meal as his
Furious character, Brian O’Conner,
“I had never done a barbecue scene without him. And every time I had ever done a barbecue scene, the first thing I was always asked is, ‘Where does Paul sit? Where does Brian sit?’ And that wasn’t happening,” says Diesel, “And I just cracked and broke down and had to walk off set to collect myself. That was the only time I wasn’t strong enough to keep it together.”
“Then I saw Michelle Rodriguez following me in tears and she came up and hugged me,” Diesel adds.
Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray says he knew Diesel and the Fast & Furious family before Walker died.
“So when tragedy hit, I felt it as well. So jumping into this movie and respecting Paul’s legacy was part of every major choice that happened,” says Gray. “There were moments when people got emotional. People were not used to shooting without their brother. It was challenging. But it also helped pull them through to dedicate this to him.” One of the final scenes in Furi
ous 7 featured Dom and Brian driving off in different directions. The words “For Paul” appeared on the screen in dedication.
In Fate of the Furious, the filmmakers worked references to Walker’s character into the opening street race sequence shot in Havana. The engine trick Dom uses to boost his car is attributed to Walker’s character from past films, nicknamed “The Buster.”
“It’s subtle. But the whole point of Cuba was an homage, pulling Paul into the opening sequence of Fast 8,” says Diesel. “The sequence was answering something Paul would always tell me as producer: ‘Vin, we need more racing, more racing.’ Cuba was a glorified race sequence in a place and environment that allowed for an old-school racing sequence.”
The end of Fate also gives another big nod to Walker in the story, which Diesel calls “the greatest tribute.”
As to whether Walker would have appreciated the eighth movie, Diesel takes a long pause before answering.
“I’m afraid to ask him. Because I think he would love a lot of aspects of the film,” says Diesel. “And then he’d tell me what would have to happen in the next one.”