In an interview with Vanity Fair's November cover story, The Rock reflected on their feud and the ensuing viral Instagram post.
Five years ago, in August 2016, Dwayne Johnson posted a mysterious comment on social media criticizing his male co-stars in Fast Furious 8: The Fate of the Furious.
"Female co-stars are usually incredible, and I adore working with them. In contrast, the men who work with me don't share my views on this issue "Part of what he said has since been removed from the blog post. "Some men carry themselves with the swagger and professionalism of true professionals, while others fail to do so. They are all different. However, those who don't care are just plain cowards. Toffee-flavored asses. When you see the movie in April and notice that I'm not acting in certain sequences and my blood is boiling, you'll know exactly what I'm feeling." Many fans felt Johnson was talking to Diesel despite his not mentioning any names. This was especially true as fans began to question whether or not the actors had shot their sequences separately. They "were not in any scenes together," Johnson said in an interview with Rolling Stone from last year.
It was "nothing specific" that happened to prompt Johnson to share the Instagram photo, he said Vanity Fair. His day had not been his greatest because it was "simply the same old s—t."
Does he, on the other hand, feel bad about it? He told the publication that it "started a firestorm." "Oddly enough, every member of the team seems to have found their way to me and wrote a word of thanks or appreciation. However, sharing that wasn't the highlight of my day. That's something I really shouldn't have revealed. As a result of this going against my genetic make-up. That kind of information does not leave my possession. And I'm in charge of keeping that dreck out of the general public's eye. That isn't something they should be aware of. It wasn't my best day, so I'm not going to lie about it." That's not a typo; Johnson really did intend it. He clarified, "I mean what I say when I say it." "Expressing it openly, on the other hand, was wrong."
According to Johnson's account in the 2018 Rolling Stones article, he and Diesel "had a few chats, including an important face-to-face" regarding the tension in his trailer."
Johnson explained to Vanity Fair that there had been a meeting. "It was anything from tranquil. It was more like a get-together of clarity, if you ask me. It became abundantly evident to both of us after our conversation in my trailer that we are on opposite ends of the spectrum. And all parties agreed to stop there."
According to Johnson, Diesel and he are "philosophically two distinct persons" who "approach the business of filmmaking in two different ways."
And that's the principle of going to work every day, he explained. "Considering everyone to be on an equal footing. As well as treating the studio as a partner in business. With respect and humility, and being respectful of the process and everyone else who is putting in just as much time, hard work, and sweat equity, if not more, look at the crew as equal partners regardless of where you are on the call sheet or otherwise. To be honest, being straight-up and looking someone in the eye has always been important to me. Also, follow through on your promises and do what you say you'll do." Diesel, who is also the producer of the Fast movies, has already given interviews in which he explained his side of the tale.
A difficult character to embody for me to play was Hobbs," he said. "At the time, my strategy consisted of using a lot of tough love to help elevate the performance to the desired level. Hobbs hits you like a truck when you say to a producer: "We're going to take Dwayne Johnson, who is known for his work in wrestling, and compel this cinematic universe, the audience members, to view his character as someone they don't know." That's something of which I'm particularly proud. That was a significant amount of effort on your part. We had to get there, and I was willing to be brutally honest with them at times. Not exactly Felliniesque, but I'd do everything to get actors to show up for a production I'm working on."
Johnson laughed as soon as the reference to Diesel's remark was brought up.
This is something I'll tell you about," he said in an interview with Vanity Fair. "A part of me believes that there's no way I could give a proper response to any of that nonsense. However, the reality is as follows. I've been in this situation before. I, on the other hand, am not from the theater community. And, as you may be aware, my upbringing and upbringing were quite different. Furthermore, my upbringing was utterly distinct from yours. And I give everything I've got to every job I work on. And if I get to the conclusion that anything needs to be sorted out, managed, or taken care of, I go ahead and take care of it myself. That's all there is to it. As a result, like the rest of the world, I laughed out loud when I read that. I couldn't stop laughing. Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Of course, Fellini is also grinning maniacally someplace."