Dwayne Johnson Slams Vin Diesel For Manipulative Public Post
Dwayne Johnson spoke publicly about his relationship with Vin Diesel and what he sees as a manipulative social media post by the latter.
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The Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel “feud” has been seemingly going on for years now with both superstar actors throwing in bits and bobs about what might have caused the reported rift between the two. At times, it’s taken some conjecture to figure out what might have gone on behind the scenes and why they might not like each other all that much. Well, it appears that is, in fact, the case, and Dwayne Johnson recently opened up on what might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. It came along further in this thing than some would have expected.
While sitting down in an interview with CNN, Dwayne Johnson opened up, in part, about the rift between him and Vin Diesel. It seems the main point of contention, at least in its most recent form, stems from a social media post Diesel put up over the summer. It acted as something of a public plea for Johnson to return to the Fast & Furious franchise for when those sets of movies finally draw to a close. Apparently, Johnson saw this post as “manipulative” and The Rock gave more context about why he didn’t appreciate Diesel’s tact. Check out part of what Dwayne Johnson had to say:
“This past June, when Vin and I actually connected not over social media, I told him directly – and privately – that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return.”
Okay, so for starters, in the eyes of Dwayne Johnson, he had made it pretty clear there was no intention to join Vin Diesel in any more of the remaining Fast & Furious movies. Frankly, it’s easy to believe Johnson here considering what we know, at least what’s public-facing, about his professionalism when it comes to working on projects and with others. There’s a reason he’s one of the great superstar collaborators out there. And if he says he was firm in his decision to not return, then it would seem we should take him at his word for it. But then he commented on about how he saw Diesel’s post which looked like this:
It was this post that clearly was a breaking point for Dwayne Johnson and something like a violation of respect between the two actors. Check out what Dwayne Johnson had to say about it.
“(Diesel’s)post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise with gratitude and grace. It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters.”
In terms of getting honest reactions to public-facing rifts, this is really about as honest as you will ever get from a celebrity. Often, especially in situations like this, there is very little upside in airing out anything like dirty laundry. But it speaks to the apparent frustration on the part of Dwayne Johnson who feels like Vin Diesel was playing on some sort of public opinion without considering the previous interactions the two have had.
And, of course, this revelation by Dwayne Johnson might have been a long time coming. There has been word over the years that the two didn’t get along on the sets of the Fast & Furious movies. That ultimately led to Johnson splintering off and taking part in the Hobb & Shaw arm of the story, never to return with the main cast. There were rumors of massive egos at play and Johnson had even sent out a now-deleted Instagram post that referenced male co-stars and their professionalism. He didn’t say Vin Diesel by name, but it was pretty clear who he was talking about.
Vin Diesel also added a little fuel to the ego fire when he told Men’s Health that he had to give Dwayne Johnson “tough love” on the sets while they were filming. In terms of out-of-line comments, this also seemed like one of them. And it’s hard to imagine, considering the enormity of Dwayne Johnson’s success that he appreciated whatever this meant in terms of their on-screen abilities.
In all, it seems the Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson feud is alive and well, at least in the public arena. And any hope of Johnson returning to the Fast & Furious franchise for their final two installments is now 100% dashed.
