The loss of actor Paul Walker can still be felt deeply among the fans of the Fast & Furious franchise and main cast members of the film series, especially Vin Diesel.
The 53-year old actor recently sat down with Metro and talked to the outlet about his close relationship with the late actor while highlighting how the tribute scene in F9 keeps his legacy alive.
Walker played the role of Brian O’Conner in the franchise until his sudden passing in 2013. The actor was involved in a fatal car crash before completing Fast and Furious 7.
Toward the end of the film, Walker’s two brothers Caleb and Cody played Brian on screen while their faces were replaced by a CGI version of their brother in post-production. Walker’s character was last seen driving into the sunset while Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s song “See You Again” played in the background.
This past Friday, the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise premiered in theaters. Walker’s character made an appearance in the film, in which he can be seen driving his infamous blue Skyline and parking in the driveway ahead of a family gathering.
In regard to the scene, Diesel revealed that he was overcome with emotion and described the moment as his “favorite frame” in the movie.
“It’s everything for me,” he said. “Pablo [Walker] and I started 20 years ago with this film that Hollywood didn’t see coming and probably didn’t expect.”
“We created a brotherhood on and off-screen, and there’s not a day that goes by...there’s not a moment that goes by while we’re filming the movie…,” he trails off after getting too emotional. Once he regained his composure, he said, “It’s everything. It’s everything.”
In another interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Diesel emphasized the importance of keeping Walker’s spirit alive in the franchise following his tragic passing.
In 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, the movie ended with another tribute to Walker as Diesel’s character Dominic aka Dom names his newborn son after Brian.
During the interview, the actor went on to say that the tribute scene in F9 is the best one out of all the installments.
“Those are homages. But when you see the end of F9, that’s something even bigger. That’s something, a promise, that’s something special,” Diesel said. “That’s something that potentially could be the best thing we’ve ever done.”
“What we know from every day of breathing is that he is always with us,” he added. “That’s probably the most profound thing, not something I would’ve been able to confirm seven-and-a-half years ago. And who would think that a movie could keep someone’s spirit [alive]? Who would ever imagine that?”
F9 is now playing in theaters.