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'' (199
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.''
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.''
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.''