As our own Mike Sheridan said in this week's episode of the entertainment.ie Movie Podcast, it's almost impossible to envision another actor in the role of Dominic Toretto for the Fast and Furious franchise.
Vin Diesel has almost become iconic in the role and it really is astonishing to hear that we could have had a very different Dom had a studio exec had their way.
Fast and Furious franchise producer Neil H. Moritz revealed on The Bill Simmons Podcast this week that Paul Walker was always first choice for Brian O'Conner, but the studio said they'd greenlight it if Moritz could get someone else to play Dom.
“I had been working with Paul Walker on another movie, Skulls, and I gave him the script [for The Fast and the Furious],” Moritz said. “
Rob Cohen, who I had made The Rat Pack with, we gave him the script. The two of them liked the idea. And then we had to look for Dom Toretto. The studio said, ‘If you can get Timothy Olyphant to play that role we will greenlight the movie… The luckiest thing that ever happened to us is Tim Olyphant turned us down. He’s a great actor. In fact, I’m curious to see what that movie would have been.”
(3).gif)
Wow. We love Timothy Olyphant but would The Fast and the Furious have been as big a hit without Diesel? We're not so sure.
Moritz also discussed his first meeting with Diesel.
“I went and met him at Kate Mantilini [restaurant] and he wasn’t a star yet, but the great thing about Vin is he always believed he was a star,” recalls Moritz. “And I was going in there to think he’s coming to me to want the role and I’m the one there now having to convince him to do the role! Lucky for both of us that happened.”
