Family is the main reason surrounding Vin Diesel‘s decision to cast legendary actress Rita Moreno in Fast X.
Diesel, who is currently promoting the trailer of the 10th movie in the Fast and Furious franchise slated to debut this week, recently opened up during an interview with Entertainment Tonight about the thought process he went through when introducing Moreno’s character. Moreno will play Diesel’s grandmother.
The 55-year-old said at the trailer release party for Fast X in Los Angeles that it is essential to add Moreno’s role because of how Diesel’s Dominic Torretto’s character family storyline started unveiling over the years.
“So much of the saga has kind of been about fatherhood. The quintessential moment in the first film, Dom is talking about his father. And at some point, I felt like the audience would need to see some of the incredible females that have led to this family, that have been responsible for Dom and this family that kind of gravitates around this character, where some of these ideals come from. And in 9, we play with Dom’s father, which is Jack. You’re introduced to Jack. And so, it was a natural kind of thing to say, ‘Here’s the Abuela.'”
Despite Diesel’s thought process of Fast X‘s family storyline, another reason why Moreno landed the gig in the film was because her grandson Justin Fisher prompted the idea in the actor’s head over drinks after meeting at the West Side Story remake premiere in 2021.
“[Vin and I] caught up and grabbed drinks after the event, and he’s so fond of my grandma. I told him, ‘You should work with her. You should have her be your grandma, have her slap you upside the head. Have her have a little tone, because you know her, it’s all tone.'”
The star-studded cast includes Michelle Rodriguez, Jordan Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Jason Momoa, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, Scott Eastwood, John Cana, Helen Mirren, and many others.
Although little details about the movie’s plot have yet to be revealed, fans can check out Fast X‘s trailer . At the same time, pre-sale tickets for the 10th film have also gone on sale on various sites, including Fandango, AMC, Cinemark, and more.