Vin Diesel has worked his way up to being one of Hollywood’s A-list movie stars and has starred in some big franchises including The Fast and Furious, XXX, and The Chronicles of Riddick. He has also voiced Groot in the MCU. Outside of acting, Diesel is also a big film nerd and interestingly a big fan of Dungeons & Dragons.
The actor loved playing with his D&D character Melkor in the games and was highly obsessed with him. In addition to making a feature film based on the character, the actor had its name tattooed on his stomach which audiences got to see in the XXX films.
Vin Diesel Had His Favorite Dungeon & Dungeons Character’s Name Tattooed On His Stomach
Vin Diesel is now a big name in the industry and has mostly focused on films that are star vehicles and franchises. The actor is also a fan of various films and games that were a seminal part of his childhood and his experiences growing up. One of them was Dungeons & Dragons and Diesel is a huge nerd when it comes to this specific game.
The Fast and Furious star has a character that he loves to play in the game which he names Melkor. The name is inspired from the powerful valar Melkor seen in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works Lord of the Rings/ The Silmarillion. In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show, the actor opened up about his obsession with the game and how Melkor is a total badass.
Diesel revealed that he is a religious player of Dungeons & Dragons and that was his favorite thing to do growing up. The actor gushed about how cool his witch hunting D&D character Melkor was and even had his name tattooed on his stomach, as seen in 2002’s XXX. He said (via YouTube),
Yes, I played Dungeons & Dragons for 20 years. I played very very religiously, I mean, it was my favorite thing to do growing up. I had a character named Melkor, he was such a sick character, he was a half giraffe, it was a witch hunter, it’s bananas. I miss Melkor. In XXX, I have a tattoo that says Melkor over my stomach.
Diesel even made a film based on his D&D character which was 2015’s The Last Witch Hunter, but it was not received well. Despite his great fame and being a big D&D fan, he was not in 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which was criminally overlooked. With the possibility of a sequel most likely happening (via GamesRadar), Diesel may put in word to appear in it.
Vin Diesel Was Jealous Of Michelle Rodriguez Starring in A Dungeons & Dragons Film
Vin Diesel‘s Fast and Furious co-star Michelle Rodriguez starred in the 2023 adaptation of the popular Dungeons & Dragons board game, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Rodriguez revealed that Diesel (who is a huge D&D fan) was incredibly jealous of her being a part of the film.
The actress further stated that Diesel keeps a lot of Dungeons & Dragons-related paraphernalia in his closet. He channels his D&D techniques into making films and producing them. Rodriguez said,
Yeah, it’s great. I get to rub it in his face. If you ever took a look at his closet, he’s got all the paraphernalia of a Dungeons & Dragons fiend. He puts a lot of his Dungeon Master techniques into making movies and producing them.
In addition to Rodriguez, the film also starred Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant. The film underperformed at the box office despite receiving highly positive reviews, grossing only $208 million against a $150 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Fans can watch Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Prime Video.
Diesel’s XXX is available to stream on Max.
