Dwayne Johnson Told Vin Diesel To Take Acting Lessons?

Dwayne Johnson has apparently responded to a Vin Diesel claim saying the latter helped the former with acting performances

By Doug Norrie | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

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In a world where A-list superstar Hollywood talent always seems to want to team up with each other in movies or franchises, I think we know two dudes who won’t be working together ever again. Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel have been at odds for years after their time in the Fast & Furious franchise and, somehow despite not having been teamed up for years, the rift seems to be only growing wider. The latest rumor from insider Daniel Richtman has it that Johnson recently responded to Vin Diesel’s assertions about why the two disagreed on set years ago and has a very different take on the situation. 

According to Richtman, Dwayne Johnson is saying that he was the one who told Diesel that the latter needed acting lessons and not the other way around. Oof. This is in response to Diesel ostensibly taking credit for Johnson’s acting gains while on set together. Diesel, when explaining the riff between the two actors, which has been well documented, said that one of the reasons they were at odds was because of the way Diesel treated Johnson on set. He said in an interview that he gave Johnson “tough love” on the set of The Fate of the Furious and other movies in the franchise

Diesel went on to say that it was “a lot of work” getting Dwayne Johnson to where he needed to be with that performance. This was likely in response to Johnson, at the time of film wrapping, taking to social media to lament having to have worked with some of the people on the movie. He wasn’t specific at the time, but it was almost definitely in reference to his relationship with Diesel and what had gone down on set. Johnson didn’t reprise the Luke Hobbs role in this latest movie, F9, opting instead to shoot the spin-off Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. 

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There are no plans for Dwayne Johnson to return to the final two installments of the Fast & Furious franchise when those begin filming and it’s easy to see why. He and Diesel clearly don’t like each other, with rumors in the past that Diesel has had specific contractual pieces around the films that require him to have the upper hand in scenes, among other things. I very much doubt that Johnson, who is about as big a star as there ever is in Hollywood, appreciates another actor (any actor really) taking credit for getting him to a certain place in a performance. It’s pretty insulting. 

All this being said, with the notion of Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel ever working together again mostly out the window, it’s not like they are being left out in the proverbial cold. Both are still incredibly busy, A-list stars in their own right with plenty of independent projects coming down the pike. Diesel will wrap up the Fast & Furious franchise in the next couple of years but has plenty of other work lined up. 

And Dwayne Johnson is as busy as ever. He’s currently filming Black Adam, the highly anticipated entrance into the DC Extended Universe. He’ll be taking the anti-hero route to start and this is setting up to be one of the true blockbusters for next summer. This summer he’s set to release Jungle Cruise alongside Emily Blunt as well.