Vin Interview



June 17, 2001


BY CINDY PEARLMAN


LOS ANGELES--If you ran into him on a dark street, you might run the other way. Big, bald and brooding, Vin Diesel also has a gravelly voice that sounds the cars he revs up in ''The Fast and the Furious,'' opening Friday.


In person, the only thing soft about him is the puppy he's holding in his arms. ''He's a deadly, deadly dog,'' says Diesel as his 10-week-old gray Canecorso named Roman licks his master's toes. But it's the movie star, not the furball, who lets out a wail after four questions concerning the canine.


''Why is he getting more publicity than me? He's stealing the show!'' Diesel cries.


The big lug who starred in ''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998) and ''Pitch Black'' (2000) really shouldn't fret. His career is on a fast and furious track.


That's why on a blazing hot morning, Diesel, 33, is on the Universal lot to talk about his summer drag racing movie. The former New York bouncer looks every bit like some famous movie star's body guard as he strolls around in khaki cargo pants, a white tank top that shows his popping muscles and tough guy shades.


In ''The Fast and the Furious,'' Diesel plays Dominic Toretto, drag race king of L.A., who might also be hijacking trucks to steal VCRs and stereos with his gang of car enthusiasts, who include hot teens Paul Walker (''Skulls'') and Michelle Rodriguez (''Girlfight'').

Director Rob Cohen says, ''Our producer Neil Moritz had seen 'Pitch Black' and he was rabid to put Vin in this movie. But I wondered, 'Is he too big to fit in the cars. Will he look like a 20-year-old on a tricycle?' But then I met with Vin and he convinced me that this group of drag racers needed a strong leader.''


Diesel was a leader in Las Vegas, where everyone went to driving school. ''Oh man, it was wheelies in a parking lot. Going 90 mph in muscle cars,'' Diesel says. ''It was every 14-year-old boy's dream come true.''


Making it work wasn't easy for Diesel, who grew up in New York. He was born to a black father and white mother. ''I never knew my biological father,'' says Diesel, who was reared by his stepfather, who taught theater, and his mother, an astrologist. ''I consider myself truly multiracial because my stepfather was also black. He is the one who culturally made me who I am.''


He also got his stepson into acting. Diesel dropped out of college to make a short film, ''Multi-Facial,'' which he paid for with his nightly bouncer work. ''I wasn't coordinated enough to be a waiter,'' admits Diesel. ''Bouncing kept my days free for auditions and my movie. It catered to an artistic life I felt I was failing miserably in.''


Diesel says his stepfather made him finish ''Multi-Facial,'' which was screened at Cannes in 1995. That led to a big break when Steven Spielberg called. ''He told me, 'Vin, I'm writing a role for you in 'Saving Private Ryan,' '' Diesel says. ''It was a Saturday morning and I started screaming in my head. He's saying, 'I saw 'Multi-Facial' and I loved it.' I'm like, 'Are you sure you watched the film? My film? You have the right number?' ''


For his part, Diesel says he only cares about the acting. ''For me the real motivation is the craft,'' he says. ''I'm married to the art.''