If there is one complaint about the last decade’s movie landscape it is this, there are too many sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and remakes. An understandable gripe, given that theaters seem to be dominated by movies of that sort most of the year, it ignores the fact that viewers are responsible for that trend. After all, the studios wouldn’t try so hard to launch film franchises if it weren’t for the fact that they make so much money.
When you look at the most successful blockbuster movies from the last few decades, many of them were part of film franchises that will go down in history. For example, it seems impossible to imagine the modern film landscape without film series like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, or Toy Story among many others.
Even though the Fast and Furious movies often get left out of discussions of the top film franchises, there is no doubt that they have loads of fans and they’ve made an incredible amount of money. While there are lots of actors that played a pivotal part in the series' ongoing success, most people would agree that Vin Diesel is the franchise’s main star. With that in mind, it is amazing to look back on Diesel’s journey to his most famous role, that of Dominic Toretto. That is especially true since Vin Diesel is such a fascinating guy off and on the screen.
Bringing His Unique Voice To The Masses
Born in Alameda County, California during the ‘60s, Vin Diesel was raised in New York City which gave him access to a thriving acting scene at an early age. With that in mind, it makes sense that Diesel made his stage debut at the age of seven when he performed as part of a children’s play called “Dinosaur Door”. That said, it is amazing to learn that Diesel got the part in that play after he broke into the theater where it was staged planning to vandalize it, only to get confronted by the play’s director.
Best known as an actor today, the thing about Vin Diesel that a lot of people don’t realize is that he launched his career as a writer and director as well. After appearing in his first film, 1990’s Awakenings, Diesel began work on a short drama film called Multi-Facial which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. After learning from that project, Diesel went on to write, direct, and star in Strays, a feature film that screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
After Steven Spielberg first saw Vin Diesel's short film Multi-Facial, the powerhouse director gave him a supporting role in his award-winning war film Saving Private Ryan. After winning over one of Hollywood’s most powerful people, Diesel began to land sought after roles in movies like The Iron Giant and Boiler Room.
Stardom Comes Calling
After Vin Diesel first caught the eye of Hollywood, he became a star in his own right after playing the lead role in the surprise hit film, Pitch Black. A riveting science fiction film, Pitch Black focused on a group of survivors that found themselves on a planet that is overrun with deadly creatures after their spaceship crashed. A total badass in the film, Diesel played the convicted criminal Riddick who attempts to shepherd the other survivors to safety with the aid of his altered eyes which allow him to see in the dark.
After Pitch Black’s success, Vin Diesel proved that it wasn’t a fluke when he starred in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious and 2002’s XXX, both of which were box office successes. Amazingly enough, the first three films that Vin Diesel headlined went on to spawn successful film franchises, which has to be a unique feat in Hollywood history.
After proving himself to be an action movie star, Vin Diesel went on to have an interesting career which included appearing in many great movies and some that aren’t so awesome. Continuing to work consistently since he first rose to fame, it could easily be argued that Diesel is one of the biggest movie stars of his generation. After all, Diesel starred in The Fast and Furious, Riddick, and XXX franchises and he even had a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the top-grossing film of all-time, Avengers: Endgame.
The Origin Of Vin Diesel’s Most Memorable Role
While it could be argued that Vin Diesel is most famous for playing the MCU’s Groot, a lot of observers would say that he is best known for starring in the Fast and Furious films. Amazingly enough, during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, producer Neil H. Moritz revealed that at first, it seemed like Diesel was a longshot to star in The Fast and the Furious.
Before anyone showed up to film The Fast and the Furious, Universal Pictures had to be convinced to foot the bill for the film’s production. After giving the movie’s script to Paul Walker, it came time to cast someone as Dominic Toretto and as it turns out, the studio had one actor in mind, Timothy Olyphant. In fact, at that time they promised to greenlight the movie’s production if Olyphant was cast but that was not to be as he turned down the role.
After the studio’s original choice to play Dominic Toretto refused the role, they were convinced to give Vin Diesel the role instead. However, Diesel wasn’t chomping at the bit to play the character even though his career was still on the rise at the time. In fact, during producer Neil H. Moritz’s aforementioned podcast appearance, he revealed that he was “the one there now having to convince him to do the role”. Of course, all of that is mindblowing since Vin Diesel is so great in The Fast and the Furious that a car he drives in the movie, a charger, has become beloved. Thankfully, he took the role and the rest is history.