Vin Diesel remembers what Paul Walker’s mom told him the day after the crash
Vin Diesel met Paul Walker’s mother the day after his death in November 2013, and still remembers the words of reassurance she gave him.
The Fate of the Furious, or, The Fast and the Furious 8 as it will be called in India, is the first film in the series to release after the death of Paul Walker in 2013. And Vin Diesel remembers the day it happened.
Speaking with Maria Menounos on her radio show, Diesel, who has spearheaded this series since its inception in 2001, said, “There wasn’t a day, there wasn’t a scene, there wasn’t a second where I didn’t have Paul with me in the making of this movie. It’s not making the movie without Paul, it’s, ‘What’s life like? What’s living like without Paul?’ ”
Walker starred with Diesel in all but one Fast and Furious adventure. He died in 2013 after his Porsche crashed into a tree. The seventh film in the series was mid-production, and his role had to be filled in with digital wizardry and his twin brothers.
Diesel also spoke about visiting Walker’s mom in Atlanta on the day after the tragedy. “The day after the tragedy, for me to fly from Atlanta that night and to show up at his mother’s house and for me to say to his mother, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ and for his mother to say to me ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ — I said, ‘Why? Why are you saying sorry to me?’ And she said, ‘Because you lost your other half,’ ” Diesel said.
“She was telling me something I wasn’t even aware of. I wasn’t aware of how profound the loss was,” he continued. “You don’t think about it while you’re living, and we’re probably all a little guilty of not telling people how much we love them while they’re here.”
Walker’s mother also had some wise words for Diesel’s mom: “His mom told my mom, ‘Love your child, just love your child.’ ”
The Fate of the Furious opens on Wednesday.
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