Vin Diesel‘s appearance on stage at the Golden Globes mostly got people talking thanks to his catty “hey Dwayne” to The Rock, which hinted that the two Fast & Furious stars’ much-vaunted rivalry might not be as forgiven as we had been led to believe. Honestly, though, Vin seemed more keen to start some new beef than reheat an old one — forget Diesel vs. Dwayne, let’s talk Groot vs. Glinda.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star had the job of revealing the winner of the Outstanding Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, and the distinct tutting sound he made before announcing that it was Wicked definitely didn’t go unnoticed by lovers of the barnstorming musical blockbuster. In case you missed the moment on the night, here it is.
Everyone knows it’s bad form to undercut someone’s well-earned win at an awards show — well, everyone but Kanye West at the MTV Awards in 2009 — so Diesel expressing his personal dislike of the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo vehicle in this way is leaving fans fuming. One Wicked fan account blasted him for being “unprofessional,” snapping, “lol what a loser.”
A word of warning, Vin: don’t anger the former theater kids. They are legion.
For those bitter that Wicked came out of the Golden Globes with crumbs, Diesel’s dismissive reaction was the final insult.
Suddenly, Wicked Nation are all The Rock fans.
Vin must really hate Wicked, though. As one tweeter noted, “Why is Vin Diesel showing more emotion in his despise for #Wicked winning than in any of his movie appearances over the last 10 years?”
At least we know what he and Dwayne were up to while Ari, Cynthia, and the rest were accepting the award…
It probably goes to show how surprisingly tame the frequently raucous Golden Globes were this year that a brief “tsk” from Vin Diesel warrants attention. Likewise, it’s not exactly the biggest snafu we’ve ever seen from an awards presenter — look at Al Pacino almost fudging Oppenheimer‘s Best Picture win at last year’s Oscars. Even so, the 57-year-old actor deserves the telling off he’s receiving online.
Look, I get it. Wicked — an impassioned paean to the unrestrained joys of stage musicals and a love letter to us Broadway-loving weirdos around the world — was never going to appeal to an action movie buff like Vin Diesel. Presumably he sat through Queen Cynthia belting out “Defying Gravity” without shedding a single tear and thought “yeah, OK, she’s flying on a broomstick, but did she fly a car in space?”
Even so, showing the barest modicum of respect for the work of fellow artists during their big moment really isn’t too much to ask for. In fact, it’s the absolute minimum anyone hired to present at one of these events should offer. As Wicked itself preaches, we have much more in common than what separates us. Everyone in attendance at California’s Beverly Hilton on Sunday night was passionate about filmmaking and keeping cinema alive. They’re all on the same side, they’re all family. And to quote Vin Diesel’s own Dominic Toretto, it’s all about family.
Published: Jan 6, 2025 02:24 pm