You know, I would like to give some serious respect to Vin Diesel. The guy may not be the greatest American thespian since Marlon Brando, but he throws himself into every single role with passion and gusto and seems to greatly enjoy the work that he does. That’s certainly true for the actor’s upcoming role as talking alien tree Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. He might have only one line of dialogue in the film, but he’s taking the role very seriously.
Diesel recently decided to try out what it was like to be a seven-foot tall alien tree by taking some time off on the set of Fast & Furious 7 and walking around on stilts. Then he filmed it for our edification and posted it on his Facebook page. Joking with co-star Djimon Hounsou, he said that “there are no small roles, only small actors.” It’s a charming video, such as we might come to expect from Diesel right now, but also shows that he’s dedicating himself to embodying that tree. At a time when great actors often phone in their parts, it’s nice to see an actor truly get into the roles he plays. Good for him.
I want to be facetious about this, but I actually feel like Diesel is being genuine when he takes his roles this seriously. He was so excited about playing a part for Marvel, and is now so excited to pretend to be Groot, that his excitement is quite infectious. Now I’m even more interested in seeing Guardians of the Galaxy just to hear Diesel say “I am Groot.”
Guardians of the Galaxy will hit theatres next summer, along with every other movie known to man. You can watch Diesel’s charming video on his Facebook page and let us know what you think of the film, or Vin Diesel, in the comments section below.
