Fast Facts About Vin Diesel

September 17, 2017 | Miles Brucker

Fast Facts About Vin Diesel


6. Glued to the Screen

When he was a kid, he never watched TV shows, but he would watch the same movie dozens of times. He said he watched the 1954 movie On the Waterfront at least 100 times.

On the waterfrontTrailer screenshot trailer at IMDB, Wikimedia Commons

7. Health-Conscious

His mom raised her boys on healthy food. She never allowed them to drink soda, and made sure they ate multigrain bread instead of white.

 Actor Vin Diesel attends the 'Fast & Furious' photo callmiguelca, Shutterstock

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8. Just Be Yourself. Unless You Can Be Batman.

Vin Diesel says that if you went back in time and asked her past self what he wanted to be when he grew up, the logical answer would have been “an actor." But he knows that his kid-self would respond, “A Super Hero!!”

Vin Diesel at premiereJason Merritt, Getty Images

9. Thanks, Mom

When he was a kid dreaming of becoming an actor, his mom gave him a book called Feature Films at Used Car Prices. It gave really practical advice about filmmaking that Vin Diesel credits for part of his success over the years.

Vin Diesel and his mother at an event Jeffrey Mayer, Getty Images

10. Big Bro

His mom and step dad ended up having their own kids. Since Vin was the oldest, he ended up helping with changing diapers and all of the other responsibilities that come with being a Big Brother.

Vin Diesel in black suitKathy Hutchins, Shutterstock

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11. Break it Down

When he was a teenager, he was filmed in an instructional video to teach breakdancing to kids.

Vin Diesel in white jacket Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

12. I AM GROOT!

If you didn’t recognize the voice, Vin Diesel plays the large tree-like creature, Groot, in Guardians of the Galaxy. So that checks “Marvel super hero” off the list of life goals.

Screenshot from the movie Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

13. Super Hero Reputation

Guardians of the Galaxy was not his first time talking to Marvel. He was considered for the role of Daredevil in 2003, but it ended up going to Ben Affleck.

Film Premiere Of DaredevilKevin Winter, Getty Images

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14. Teddy Bear

Vin Diesel is very tough on the outside, but a soft, nice guy on the inside.

Vin Diesel in white jacket Victor Chavez, Getty Images

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15. One With The Forest

Before accepting the part of Groot, Vin Diesel brought a comic book over to his son, showing him the characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy. He asked him, “Which one do you think they want daddy to play?” and he immediately pointed to the tree. He was shocked, and said that he felt like his son helped him say “yes” to the role. Now, when they drive past tees, his son says, “Look daddy, it’s your brothers and sisters!”

Vin Diesel  and his kids Jesse Grant, Getty Images

16. Roll for Dexterity

Something that may surprise you is that Vin Diesel is a huge Dungeons and Dragons fan.

Vin Diesel speaking at the 2013 Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2., Wikimedia Commons

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17. The Big Apple

Diesel went to Hunter College in New York City. It was around this time that he began to be a thrill-seeker. “It wasn't until I went to college and I got my first motorcycle that I understood the thrill of speed.”

Vin Diesel at The Fresh Air Fund SaluteEverett Collection, Shutterstock

18. Too Cool for School

Vin Diesel dropped out of college when he had the opportunity to be in a movie called Multi-Facial. This wasn’t just some student film, either. It was actually shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995.

Vin Diesel in Multi-FacialOne Race Productions, Multi-Facial (1995)

19. At the Club

Vin Diesel worked as a bouncer for a total of 10 years at bars and nightclubs, in-between his acting gigs. He says that he estimates that he got into roughly 500 fights with drunken patrons during the course of that career. Being a bouncer was actually the perfect job for him as an actor, because he had his mornings and afternoons free for auditions. Hopefully, he never had to show up to an audition with a black eye.

Vin Diesel in gray t-shirtChris Weeks, Getty Images

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20. In the Mix

His cousin is a rapper named Kwame. In some of the earlier music videos, you can see Vin Diesel as one of the extras.

Rapper/producer Kwame attends event Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

21. Looking on the Bright Side

He tried to live in Los Angeles for a while, and the only job he could find was telemarketing. While this is a notoriously miserable job, he said that it actually gave him great experience in learning how to sell, which helped him during pitches and auditions.

Vin Diesel at the Vin Diesel Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremonys_bukley, Shutterstock

22. No Theme Parks, Please

Vin Diesel does a lot of really scary stunts for a living, but he is totally scared of roller coasters.

Screenshot of the movie Fast & Furious 6Twentieth Century, Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

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23. Hug it Out

He explains that as he got older, he began to sympathize with other people’s pain a whole lot more, and wasn’t so much into fighting. “With age, you get to a place where you don't want to knock people out. You just want to give people a hug.”

Vin Diesel with fans Jan Pitman, Getty Images

24. Getting Noticed

His second film, Strays, also made it to Cannes. This was enough for the famous Hollywood director Steven Spielberg to recognize him, and cast him in Saving Private Ryan.

Vin Diesel's "Strays" event Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

25. Sci-Fi Trilogy

He played the character Richard B. Riddick in three different movies: Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick. He was quoted saying that he has faith in trilogies, so long as the writers plan it out ahead of time.

Screenshot from the film The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)Universal, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

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26. Celebrity Status

The movie Vin Diesel became best known for was The Fast and the Furious in 2001. When they rushed to make the sequel, he was actually taken aback, and was unsure if the second movie was going to do well or not.

Vin Diesel at  2002 MTV Movie AwardsFrederick M. Brown, Getty Images

27. Sequels

Vin Diesel was pitched two different scripts for The Fast and the Furious sequel. He turned them both down, saying they were not good enough. In a huff, the company said, “Fine, then. You produce it.” ...So he did. He is credited as a producer for Fast and Furious 6.

World Premiere Of Fast & Furious 6Stuart C. Wilson, Getty Images

28. Taking Matters into His Own Hands

In 2002, he started his own video game company called Tigon Studios, because he wanted to work on the Chronicles of Riddick games.

Vin Diesel  with fans Carlo Allegri, Getty Images

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29. Gains

In 2006, he gained 35 pounds for his role of “Fat Jackie” in Find Me Guilty.

Screenshot of Find Me Guilty (2006)Yari Film Group Releasing, Find Me Guilty (2006)

30. Tough Choices

Some people may say that Vin Diesel’s movie choices are in poor taste, but in reality, he can get pretty picky with what he says “yes” to. He was quoted saying that he has turned down $20 Million for a movie he did not want to be in.

Vin Diesel at  People's Choice Awards 2016 - ShowKevin Winter, Getty Images

31. Do it For The Fans

When talking about The Fast and the Furious franchise, he responded that a lot of it was in honor of video game culture. He explained that since Grand Theft Auto was such a cultural phenomenon, it only makes sense that these movies should be made, too.

Vin Diesel at   Premiere Of Universal Pictures' "Furious 7" - Red CarpetAlberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images

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32. Hitting Max Capacity

Diesel admits that doing so many films back-to-back became very stressful. He started smoking a lot of cigarettes in order to cope.

Vin Diesel at One Voice: Somos Live! A Concert For Disaster Relief - MiamiRick Diamond, Getty Images

33. Soccer Mom SUV

Vin Diesel is know for driving fancy cars in the movies. In real life, he drives a Yukon Flex Fuel with car seats in the back.

Vin DieselUniversal, The Fast and the Furious (2001)

34. Daddy Day Care

When he was raising his kids, he wanted to be around them as much as possible. His babies would sometime be on set with him. In-between takes, he would hold and rock the babies and walk back and forth. From a distance,  it just looked like he paced back and forth a lot. This was so frequent, that when director Sidney Lumet hired him, he had to ask what was up with his strange habit of pacing.

Vin Diesel Immortalized With Hand And Footprint CeremonyJason Kempin, Getty Images

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35. Under Pressure

Vin Diesel says that Saving Private Ryan was one of the most difficult movies he ever acted in, since it was based on real people. So, there was more pressure to do well, rather than playing fictional characters.

Vin Diesel in saving private ryanGetty Images, Getty Images

36. Hit the Gym

Part of his workout routine is mixed martial arts. He also lifts weights, and hangs out with a lot of body builders. He even has his own private gym in his house.

Vin Diesel at event Andre Luiz Moreira, Shutterstock

37. A Real Actor

Since he has such an extensive background in traditional theater in his life, he resents the comparison he gets to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, who were known for their physical fitness rather than their acting.

Sylvester Stallone and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger  at event Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

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38. A Huge Honor

In 2013, he was awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Vin Diesel Honored On The Hollywood Walk Of FameFrederick M. Brown, Getty Images

39. Family Man

Vin Diesel has three kids with his long-time girlfriend, Paloma Jiménez. Their third daughter was named Pauline, after his friend Paul Walker, who passed away.

vin diesel and family Jason Kempin, Getty Images

40. Rated PG.

After having kids, Vin Diesel realized that they can’t see anything he is in, except for Iron Giant and Guardians of the Galaxy 1 and 2. This is probably going to inspire him to be in some more family-friendly movies in the future.

Vin Diesel at event Anthony Harvey, Getty Images

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41. One of Us

He often stays really close friends with his fellow actors. In fact, he is training his kids to call Michelle Rodriguez from the Fast and Furious movies “Aunt Michelle”.

Vin Diesel  at  Premiere Of Universal's "Fast & Furious" - ArrivalsKevin Winter, Getty Images

42. Tragedy

Following the death of Paul Walker, a number of people wanted to interview Vin Diesel about the newest movie, and ultimately, his friend would be brought up. Vin cries in multiple interviews when trying to talk about his death to the public.

Vin Diesel's last words to his co-star Paul Walker before Paul died in the tragic car accident were actually about death.

“These action films can be very dangerous, no matter what anyone tells you,” Vin told Variety Magazine. “I started to think, ‘What would happen to Paul Walker if I died?' ”

47-year-old Vin Diesel said he went over to Walker’s trailer after filming an action sequence for Furious 7 and had a heart to heart.

“If I do die, let them know what kind of brother I’ve been to you,” he told Walker days before the tragic accident. “I’ve played that over in my head countless of times. That’s the last time I ever saw him.”

Vin Diesel at 	Premiere Of Universal's "Fast & Furious" - ArrivalsKevin Winter, Getty Images

43.Bringing in the Benjamins

According to Forbes, Vin Diesel’s net worth is $54.5 Million Dollars. His movies have made over a billion dollars in the box office. His house in Hollywood was estimated at roughly $3 million.

Vin Diesel at the premiere of "XXX"Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


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