Vin Diesel’s contribution to the Fast and the Furious franchise has led it to become one of the biggest franchises in the world. In today’s cinematic age, franchises have a bigger chance of gaining success. Whether it is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, John Wick, or even Despicable Me. Diesel’s franchise falls in the same category. His role as Dominic Toretto has seen the franchise rise from scratch.
Oftentimes actors and actresses would take up roles and regret ever having said yes. Similarly, there would be instances where they get offered some of the biggest roles but, they slip away from their hands because of one reason or another. Whether or not they regret it, is what would depends on the actor themselves.
Timothy Olyphant Was Offered The Role Of Dominic Toretto Before Vin Diesel
Before Vin Diesel ever got the opportunity to revolutionize street racing with Fast and the Furious, it was Timothy Olyphant who was set to play Dominic Toretto. The actor was offered the lead role. However, at that time there was no guarantee of whether or not the movie would become a hit, let alone be turned into a franchise. According to him, the concept was a little too far-fetched for any audience to want to see the movies more than twice.
“I just thought, well, this will just be stupid, and I thought no one is gonna wanna see this movie eight or nine different times. I mean, by the third or fourth sequel, people are gonna definitely get bored of it. Right?”
He admitted that nowhere did he expect the franchise to turn as big as it is now. However, even with so many different roles in his bag, Toretto was not the one he got. Diesel was to take over the role and make his character one of the most iconic characters outside of superhero franchises.
Timothy Olyphant Does Not Regret Rejecting Fast And The Furious
Even though Timothy Olyphant missed out on what would have been the biggest deal in his life, he does not regret saying no. He stated that despite the fame that the franchise got, it would never have been his kind of project. Whether or not the movie would have failed or gained success with him as Toretto, it would not have been a longtime commitment that Olyphant would have been ready to take on.
So far Diesel has earned over $100 Million just for the franchise and that has been something that Olyphant missed out on. However, his decision seems justified as well considering how no matter how big a franchise gets, if the lead actor himself isn’t as interested, there would not be as much charisma or love involved in the making of it.
Fast X will be available to watch in theatres from 19th May 2023.
Source: The Things
