Anna Daniels
It might sound tongue-in-cheek to underline the personal importance of Paul Walker and his sudden, tragic death as part of Diesel’s reasoning, but it’s entirely serious and difficult to overstate. The two of them shared a very specific experience coming from complete obscurity to the top of the Hollywood food chain, and Diesel genuinely felt that Walker was the only person who could help him cope with the tectonic shift that fame brought him and his family.
“What happens when you grow up poor, unfortunately, is that when you’re suddenly successful, money comes with that success… And the people who love you most may not realize how sensitive, in this case, me or Paul Walker, specifically, could be about that,” Diesel explained to Today Online. “In October, a month before the tragedy happened, I remember being so frustrated with my mother. I have the best mother in the whole world, but I was feeling that my mother wasn’t understanding how much pain it was causing me when everyone I knew felt entitled… And when my mother flew to the set, I called Paul to come over and talk to my mother. When he asked why, I replied my family loves me but I was feeling just a little exploited. So he went down to have a conversation with my mother the only way he could… I only have one Paul Walker.”
It’s a long explanation for a simple fact: he only had one Paul Walker, and translating that deep bond to film represented a mammoth challenge to honor. Hollywood is so often a facile and inauthentic town, and many a movie leans into that legacy, becoming cynical. Diesel’s interest in finishing Furious 7 with that specific scene is the opposite in emotion and intent, and it’s worth recognizing as special and valuable.
Written by: Looper
