Under the hot California sun, right on the back lot of Universal Studios, Diesel is utterly relaxed.
Throughout the interview, he snacks away on sushi, which he offers to me at least 3 times during my 25 minutes with him.
Which is kinda cool, coming from someone who is now commanding US$11 million ($19.4) million per film these days.
Completely without airs, the actor jokes and chats comfortably without waiting for your next question.
Diesel’s film career started out with Multi-Facial (1994), a 20-minute short he wrote, directed and starred in, that made it to the Cannes Film Festival.
His next project, Strays (1997), was a feature-length film that played at Sundance, which also had Diesel wearing 3 hats.
When Steven Spielberg spotted Diesel in that film, he created a role specifically for him in Saving Private Ryan.
Diesel has since moved on to prove his box office drawing power with
Pitch Black before coming to Fast and the Furious. The role of Dominic Toretto,
the charismatic leader of a street-racing gang in Fast, came out of the blue for
Diesel.
The actor was having lunch one day with Rob Cohen (The Skulls,
Daylight) when the director told him about how he wanted to capture, with his
film, the essence of speed like it has never been done before.
Diesel
was, as he told me in Los Angeles, hooked before he even saw the
script.
His commitment to the project required him to go back to school- racing
school, that is. But rather than try to impress us with tales of his newly
acquired skills (like, say Hugh Jackman on his Swordfish adventures), Diesel
would rather crack jokes about the experience at his own expense.
The
self-professed defensive driver told me about how he has to “unlearn” his good
driving habits.
He claims to be an experienced driver, but “in the New York
City type of way”, which is to “stay clear of taxicabs at all
cost”.
He even revealed a special qualification: he once drove a
car that did not have any brakes.
“I used to have a Chrysler
without brakes. I would drive at 5 miles an hour. There was once when I needed
to stop before hitting a wall, so I opened the door and put my foot down.
Psst…”
Diesel demonstrates braking with his shoe while making a
hissing sound.
Funny guy, that Diesel.
But while Cohen’s need
for speed drew him to the film, he gives a different answer about what he likes
best about the film.
“The movie is cool, the cars are cool. But you know what’s the
coolest thing about this movie? It is the relationships.
“When these 2
strong people (Dominic and Letty, played by actress Michelle Rodriguez)
are together, they expose each other’s
innocence.”
Diesel, who is of mixed heritage, described the
multi-cultural make-up of the film’s cast as what made the film
“shin”.
“Here you have a subculture where no one’s
excluded.
“The racial lines are broken down every way, the stereotypes
are diminishing and you can see the ideals; the similarities between the
different cultures.”
Funny guy, yes, but did I mention
sensitive, new age?
Say hello.