In an effort to uphold their dominant personas, the acclaimed actors Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson have reportedly entered into contract discussions, ensuring that their characters remain undefeated throughout the Fast & Furious film series.
Crew members working on the popular action films, which started in 2001, have disclosed that Diesel, 52, even invited his sister to rehearsals to keep count of how many times he was punched so he could retaliate accordingly. Similarly, Statham, 52, has an agreement with the studio that limits the severity of beatings he receives from the others on set.
The effects of these actors’ demands reportedly become evident in the films. For example, in a scene from 2011’s Fast Five, Diesel shoved Johnson, 47, through a wall, and Johnson immediately got up to throw Diesel through another wall as an act of revenge. In The Fate of the Furious from 2017, Johnson was reportedly furious when he was knocked down to the ground by Diesel and insisted on at least sitting up to avoid making the beating look too extreme.
MailOnline has reached out to Universal Pictures, as well as representatives for Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, and Vin Diesel for further comment on the matter.
In another example provided by post-production crew members, Diesel involved his sister during a fight rehearsal. She observed, “He’s falling down right here. Is he going to get his licks back in?” These incidents highlight the actors’ desire to maintain their image and avoid appearing weak during fight scenes.
Another instance involved a scene in Furious 7 that could have resulted in either Statham or Johnson being killed off. However, with creative input from both actors, the scene was altered so that they stopped fighting when a helicopter fired a missile, creating a gap between them.
These claims seem to align with a 2016 incident when Dwayne Johnson took to Instagram to call out some of his co-stars as “candy asses,” hinting at the tension and ego clashes on set.