There’s a clear divide between being an actor and a movie star, with Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel firmly occupying the latter part of the equation. Both are famed for producing their own action-driven projects that come burdened with franchise potential, and seek to do nothing more than entertain audiences and earn the most amount of box office dollars possible.
Diesel could have ended up taking a much different path, however, had he not stumbled upon the one-two punch of Pitch Black and The Fast and the Furious around the turn of the millennium. The gravel-throated tank top enthusiast initially gained attention for writing, directing, producing and headlining Multi-Facial and Strays, which caught the eye of no less a talent than Steven Spielberg, who promptly cast the unknown in Saving Private Ryan.
Of course, it’s been a long time since Diesel has tackled any straightforward dramatic work, and that’s true of his Fast & Furious adversary as well. Johnson is arguably the most charismatic onscreen presence in the business, but he rarely feels inclined to stretch the limits of his capabilities, even if you get the distinct impression there’s a potentially knockout performance in there somewhere.
Diesel recently addressed the long-running beef between the two by claiming that it was all done intentionally, with The Fast Saga‘s Dominic Toretto going full Method and deliberately antagonizing The Rock to bring out the best possible work from his opposite number. Insider Daniel Richtman has now countered by claiming that Dwayne Johnson told his rival that he was the one in need of acting lessons, thus reigniting the feud. It’s yet to be addressed publicly by the Red Notice star, but if he doesn’t show up for the tenth and eleventh Fast & Furious movies, then we’ll probably know why.
