Fast X: The Untold Truth Of The Cast

"Fast X" hit theaters on May 19, 2023, and grossed $319 million worldwide in its opening weekend, proving that there's still a huge hunger for the "Fast & Furious" franchise. As well as reuniting everyone's favorite stars such as Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, and Jason Statham, "Fast X" also introduces new villain Dante Reyes, played by "Aquaman" hunk Jason Momoa. Dante is intent on taking down Toretto's entire family as he seeks revenge for the death of his own father, pitting him in a brutal fight against the "Fast" clan. 

Since the film's release, Diesel has already suggested that "Fast X" may be the start of a new trilogy (rather than the previously announced two-parter) set to wrap up the franchise in an impressive finale. Meanwhile, the movie also sees the return of several characters who had previously exited the series, plus the introduction of high-profile actors like Marvel star Brie Larson. Basically, the "Fast & Furious" franchise has only continued to up the ante in both plot and its casting, and it's impossible to imagine the series ever truly ending. 

Join us as we explore the untold truth of the incredible cast of "Fast X."

As of this writing, Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie is set to be released in July 2023, and it features an incredible cast, which includes Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Helen Mirren, Will Ferrell, and John Cena. The former WWE icon is particularly proud of his role in "Barbie," especially because "Fast X" apparently helped him land a part in the coveted film. During an interview with "Today" that May, Cena opened up about how he got cast in the iconic doll movie, saying, "It was a happy accident, and I think 'Barbie' and 'Fast X' share a lot of parallels. The cast list is amazing." It's undeniable that both flicks feature an impressive roster of Hollywood talent, so it's no surprise there's an overlap between the two films.

According to Cena, "Fast X" and "Barbie" were filming in the same location, which allowed the actor to visit Gerwig's set and mingle with the cast. In particular, he made a beeline for star and pal Margot Robbie, as he felt she'd be able to get him a part in the movie. As for what he said to Robbie when he met her, Cena told "Today," "'I will do pretty much whatever you guys need, 'cause I really enjoy the movie,' and they asked me if I wanted to be a merman." 

Although "Fast X" and "Barbie" seem worlds apart, Cena is making sure that audiences get to see his full range on screen.

Paul Walker has always been an integral part of the "Fast & Furious" franchise. However, in November 2013, tragedy struck: Walker died suddenly when the Porsche he was traveling in fatally crashed. He was 40 years old. Since then, the films have attempted to explain his character Brian O'Conner's absence, and as the franchise nears its end, Walker may finally get the tribute he's long deserved. 

In a March 2023 interview with Total Film, star Vin Diesel explained, "That moment in 2013 when the world was struggling with his loss, the studio made a very bold and righteous and daring decision to keep Brian O'Conner alive." He continued, "I couldn't imagine this saga ending without truly saying goodbye to Brian O'Conner." Importantly, "Fast X" pays tribute to Walker's onscreen impact in a big way by including his real-life daughter, Meadow Walker, in a cameo role. 

Meadow celebrated her appearance in the installment by writing on Instagram, "I am so blessed to be able to honor my father's legacy and share this with him forever." She also noted the fact that she'd grown up on the sets of the "Fast & Furious" films and knew many of the cast members well. "I was born into the fast family," Meadow wrote. "I can't believe now I get to be up there too." Her inclusion in the successful franchise is a fitting tribute to her late father, who is still sorely missed by "Fast & Furious" fans.

Oscar-winner Rita Moreno joined the "Fast & Furious" franchise in "Fast X," playing Dominic Toretto's grandmother, Abuelita. While doing press for the movie, Moreno made it clear that she was delighted to be joining the popular action movie series, and that she had made some surprising friends on the set of the film. 

During a May 2023 interview with "Today," Moreno said of her friendship with Ludacris (real name Christopher Bridges), "I'm a text buddy with Chris. ... I asked him for his number before I left, I found him so intriguing. You know, he's a very smart, articulate guy." Basically, Moreno wasn't shy when it came to getting Ludacris' digits, and it's nice to know that the two actors still text one another.

As for how she got cast in "Fast X," Moreno told "Today" that her grandson had actually pitched the idea to Vin Diesel — though she noted, "Vin had already decided he wanted me in it." It sounds as though the "West Side Story" icon was pretty popular on the set of "Fast X," and by all accounts, she's already gearing up for the sequel. "There's some really surprising stuff," she told "Today" of the upcoming "Fast XI." While Moreno didn't divulge any more details about future sequels, it's looking likely that more "Fast & Furious" installments will be on the way.

It's not often that a film franchise racks up an impressive 11 installments. It's also rare for the caliber of the cast to get better and better with each new film — but that's exactly what's happening with the "Fast & Furious" series. In fact, "Fast X" includes an incredible four Oscar winners in its cast, proving that the popular series continues to attract fans and actors alike. 

Helen Mirren reprised her role as Queenie in "Fast X," and the accomplished actor previously took home an Academy Award in 2007 for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." Charlize Theron also returned to the "Fast & Furious" franchise in her role as Cipher. The decorated star nabbed an Oscar for her visceral performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003's "Monster." Rita Moreno is brand new to the franchise, playing Dom Toretto's grandmother in "Fast X," as previously mentioned. Moreno, of course, broke barriers when she won best actress in a supporting role Oscar for her part in 1961's "West Side Story." Brie Larson, meanwhile, also joins the series as Tess in "Fast X," having earned an Academy Award in 2016 for her performance in "Room."

While Vin Diesel has expressed how thrilled he was to welcome the "Fast X" newbies to the cast, Larson, for her part, was equally excited. At the premiere, she told reporters (via SyFy), "When I got the phone call, I was dancing and screaming. I've been begging for years to be in these movies because I love them so much."

If the cast of "Fast X" seems like one big family, that's because the cast truly bonded with one another on the set of the film. During a May 2023 interview with Extra, Michelle Rodriguez gushed about working with Charlize Theron and Brie Larson on "Fast X," saying, "I wish we had more time with each other, to be fair." She continued, "It's pretty hard when you have such a big cast to try to get everybody together in the sequences and make it make sense in the story, but whatever time we did have, we definitely milked." 

Basically, the chemistry you see onscreen is very real, as the cast members truly enjoyed working with one another, even while filming fight scenes. Ludacris similarly sang the praises of his castmates while speaking to ET around this time. "Vin [Diesel] has changed my life forever through the gift that keeps on giving, this franchise 'Fast & Furious,'" he revealed. "... I'll put my cast up against any other cast in film history. We are the closest-knit family off camera and on camera. Compared to anybody, 100 percent." 

Perhaps one of the reasons the film series has been so successful is that the actors involved in every movie truly love the story they're telling, as well as the people they get to collaborate with. With bonds this strong, it seems the "Fast & Furious" franchise could continue for years to come.

As previously mentioned, the "Fast & Furious" franchise has only upped its game with every sequel, and that includes casting some super talented and popular performers – including "Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot, who portrayed Gisele in the series. Gadot appeared in the first "Fast & Furious" film and had a bigger role in the fifth and sixth installments, the latter of which saw her character embark upon a romantic relationship with Han Seoul-Oh, played by Sung Kang. 

While Gisele was thought to have died at the end of "Fast & Furious 6," it's rare for a character to really dead in this particular cinematic universe, and fans can attest that they've already witnessed a multitude of completely wild resurrections. And so, during an interview with ComicBook.com, Kang himself suggested that he was very open to his onscreen love interest joining him once again, saying, "Why can't she?" He continued, "Who doesn't want a load of Gal Gadot in their life?" 

Many spoiler-heavy articles have already elaborated on the ongoing rumors of Gadot returning in "Fast X," and let's just say, it seems as though anything is possible in this particular franchise.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson joined this franchise as diplomatic security service agent Hobbs in "Fast Five," subsequently reprising the role in the sixth, seventh, and eighth films, as well as in the spin-off "Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw." However, after a critical Instagram post in 2016 seemingly took aim at co-star Vin Diesel, it looked like Johnson didn't have a future in the car-obsessed series after all. Reports from "The Fate of the Furious" set suggested that the two actors didn't get along, but Diesel surprised everyone when he shared an emotional Instagram post in 2021 asking Johnson to return for "Fast X," saying in part, "I hope that you rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny."

Sadly, Johnson wasn't too impressed by Diesel's invitation, telling CNN Entertainment, "Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation." Doubling down on his decision to leave, the "Black Adam" star added, "I told him directly — and privately — that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial ... but that there was no chance I would return." 

Surprisingly — SPOILER ALERT — Hobbs turns up in the post-credits scene of "Fast X," suggesting that Johnson would, in fact, be returning in the next installment of the franchise. Considering their very public feud, fans have wondered if Johnson might have regretted his harsh words. For his part, Diesel told ET of the cameo, "We lead with love. We try to create an environment where people can do their best work."

As evidenced throughout this piece so far, we all know that the "Fast & Furious" cast is extremely close — and that apparently extends to sometimes dating the same people. During an April 2023 appearance on "The Morning Hustle," Tyrese Gibson confirmed that both he and Paul Walker had been involved with Eva Mendez's stunt double, Cindy Leon, at the same time while filming 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious." 

During the extremely open discussion, Gibson revealed that he and Walker weren't aware of the situation at first, saying (via Complex), "We were both just complimenting this girl every day and for whatever reason, we just didn't say we were both smashing the same girl." When the host asked Gibson if they ended their respective dalliances with Leon upon finding out, he replied, "I don't think we stopped." Eek!

This wasn't the first time that Gibson reminisced about this unusual connection to the late Walker, either. In 2015, he told Yahoo! Entertainment, "Well, the first moment me and [Paul Walker] really broke the ice is when we found out we were sleeping with the same girl in Miami." While this realization could have been pretty awkward for a lot of people, Gibson and Walker clearly found common ground in having an intimate connection to the same person. "It was a bromance forever after that," Gibson added. "Because we had the same taste in women." To each their own!

The "Fast & Furious" movies feature a lot of action sequences and some pretty intense fight scenes. Therefore, the stars of the franchise often take quite a beating in the films, or can be seen doing some serious damage to their cast mates onscreen. As a result, it's probably unsurprising that some of the main cast members of the "Fast & Furious" films allegedly have specific clauses in their contracts regarding how much pain their character experiences. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Jason Statham is very particular about how many times his character gets hit or injured onscreen, and he has even included an alleged limit in his contract regarding the degree to which he is beaten up. While this may seem drastic, it makes sense that someone whose career is primarily built on being an action star would want to look strong in every project. LadBible called this stipulation an "equal pain" contract clause.

A spokesperson from Universal reacted to the report, telling The Wall Street Journal, "... every character has their moment, and ... all are seen as formidable opponents ... Each 'Fast' character is a hero to someone watching, and we never forget that." The newspaper also suggested that Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel are just as particular about how their characters fare in a fight. Basically, a lot of thought goes into each fight scene in the "Fast" franchise, and nobody wants to lose.

Alan Ritchson's role in "Fast X" cements his status as an up-and-coming action movie star, and it seems that the actor is extremely excited about joining the popular film series. In August 2022, Ritchson shared a video on Instagram in which he revealed, "Today is my final day on 'Fast X.' It's been an incredible ride." He continued, "I can't wait for you to see this movie. It's gonna be the best one in the franchise so far, I know it." 

As well as singing the praises of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, Ritchson also revealed that he wouldn't be having a break after filming "Fast X," as it was time to start shooting the second season of "Reacher," which is based on Lee Childs' Jack Reacher novels. Discussing his excitement about returning to "Reacher," Ritchson explained on Instagram, "I reached out to my writer, showrunner, and I said, 'We're screwed. I don't know how we top this.'" 

Filming two high-profile projects in quick succession is a sign that Ritchson's star is on the rise, after years of taking smaller roles. For instance, between 2005 and 2010, the actor portrayed Aquaman in four episodes of "Smallville." With "Fast X," Ritchson gets to work opposite current Aquaman star Jason Momoa, which is a true full circle moment.

Helen Mirren has become an important part of the "Fast & Furious" franchise over the years, and it seems that the Oscar winner is extremely fond of her co-stars, with Vin Diesel being a particular favorite. During an interview with ET, Mirren revealed Diesel's incredible influence on her life, including the fact that he helped her to develop a social media presence. "It was Vin and his team who sort of first introduced me to Instagram," Mirren told ET. "That was, like, I don't know how many years ago ... but it was a world I wasn't really aware of and they went, 'Oh, no, Helen, you've gotta do this.'" Clearly, Diesel and Mirren have a great relationship offscreen, and it's nice to know that the two actors have grown so close.

It's also worth noting that Mirren's role as Queen in the "Fast" films is no accident. In fact, the award winning actor manifested her part in the series during a 2015 interview with ET. "I've always wanted to be in a 'Fast & Furious' movie but they've never asked me," Mirren told the publication. She then addressed the lead actor in the franchise, by saying, "Vin, get your act together!" Afterwards, Diesel most definitely took notice of Mirren's request, and quickly found her a role, which she's reprised on several occasions.

Jason Momoa joins the "Fast & Furious" franchise in "Fast X" as Dante Reyes, a villain targeting Dom Toretto and his family. However, the "Aquaman" star has one criticism about joining the hugely successful series, revealing in a virtual roundtable promoting the film (via Cinema Blend), "My only one maybe like bummer of the whole thing is I didn't get to drive more, which is gonna change in the next one." While Momoa's character is seen riding motorcycles in "Fast X," the actor was hoping he'd get the chance to drive some of the franchise's iconic vehicles, which sadly didn't happen.

Impressively, Momoa did a lot of his own stunt work in "Fast X," particularly when it involved riding a motorcycle. As he explained during the virtual roundtable ahead of the film's release, "I did 80 percent of the motorcycle stuff, which is great and I'm super happy that they trusted me to do it. And then the stunts that would jeopardize the whole picture, obviously a stunt man would take that over." Despite being able to handle so much of the motorcycle driving required for his character, Momoa is clearly hoping that "Fast XI" will allow Dante Reyes to get behind the wheel of a car and do some real damage.

A key scene in "Fast X" sees Letty, played by Michelle Rodriguez, and Cipher, played by Charlize Theron, engage in a dramatic fight. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Rodriguez revealed, "Can I just tell you — no pun intended, but Charlize is a monster. We shot our ['Fast X'] fight sequence with no director." The pair were likely left without a director after Justin Lin quit and was subsequently replaced by Louis Leterrier. The fact that Rodriguez and Theron were able to film such a strenuous fight scene without a director on set shows just how professional they are, especially when it comes to filming complicated action sequences.

Celebrating her co-star, Rodriguez told Vanity Fair, "Bro, like, hands down, drop mic, we nailed it. We were there, we don't need [a director], let's do this. Second unit director, come on. We kept that train running until Louis came in and took over. And [Charlize Theron] is a consummate professional, sharp elbows, her work ethic is beyond." Viewers are likely to agree that Rodriguez and Theron knocked it out of the park, and clearly know how to complete an exciting combat scene without a director present.

As the cast of "Fast X" looks ahead to future installments, they've been drawing up a wish list of their favorite performers who they'd love to join the franchise. During an interview with Variety, Vin Diesel revealed that he wanted Robert Downey Jr. to join the cast, saying, "... there's a character who is the antithesis of Dom who is promoting AI and driverless cars and a philosophy that with that goes your freedom." He continued, "There is somebody that believes that's the future, and that's at direct odds with the Toretto mentality." While Diesel wouldn't reveal if he'd actually reached out to Downey Jr. or not, the "Iron Man" star's potential casting could take the franchise to a whole other level.

Variety also quizzed Michelle Rodriguez about who she'd like to see in future sequels, and she quickly replied, "Who's the guy from these amazing 'Jason Bourne' movies? Matt Damon!" She then posed the question directly to the actor, saying, "Matt Damon, would you be in a 'Fast & Furious' movie? C'mon, we got four Oscar winners, man. And you're an Oscar winner!" Damon's inclusion in the series would undoubtedly be a boon for the series. Regardless of who joins the "Fast & Furious" franchise, fans will definitely be back for "Fast XI."