Vin Diesel returns to our screens as he once again plays Dominic Toretto in the fouth film of The Fast and The Furious. In 2006 Diesel made a cameo appearance in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, reprising his role from The Fast and The Furious. Diesel was originally offered the lead in 2 Fast 2 Furious but turned it down.

It's so nice to see you back here in the franchise!!

You know, it’s been some time!!

So, why did you come back? We’re delighted that you did.

Why did I come back? I came back probably because of the response that we got in the cameo for Tokyo Drift. And why did that compel me to come back? I think, for a couple of reasons. One is, you know that I can be precious about scripts, but at some point I guess I saw the reaction to the cameo, and what the reaction to the cameo said to me was the audience that has embraced this character.  After X amount of years, you have to ask yourself at what point are you cheating the audience that has embraced the character, and just wants that character on screen. So, a simple question, but not the easiest answer.  Essentially I came back to pay homage to that Dom character that hit a chord so many years ago.

Do you regret not coming back earlier, like in the second one?

Not at all. I made other choices that I might not have been able to do, like Find Me Guilty and things like that. I didn’t know if I would have the opportunity to do it so I just jumped in and did a sequel in a reactionary way because the film did great. I wasn't really ready to return to the character so quickly. But what’s interesting is, working with people like Sydney Pollack allowed me a little bit more comfort to come back, and come back to the big franchise character.

Where have you seen this character over the years, because the audience had experienced two further films, so for you, when you saw the script, what place did he need to be in for you to justify him being in this movie?

Good question. It really all comes down to this cameo. When they asked me to do it, they said “do the cameo and you can implement this idea of a sequel franchise if you will, and launch what that looks like”. Universal was very always supportive in trying to get the right tone for a story that felt like it was truly a sequel to the first film, dealing with issues in the first story. And that’s what we ended up doing. 

Cars play a big role in the whole franchise. What kind of cars did you like when the first film was released and what cars do you like now; has it changed? Are you slowing down with cars?

Am I in a mini van, or a Prius? I’m pretty consistent, I’m a muscle car guy, like the cars that my character uses in the movie, and I’m pretty consistent there. I think there’s never really been a deviation from that kind of 70 Charger kind of, Dodge Charger kind of, dumb cars.

Did you have to go to the car school again?

I had to go back to car school, not just for driving, but what the cinematographers and the directors all ask is for you to be able to do a 360 right into the camera, and that’s the stuff you need to practice, flying towards the camera and doing a 90 degree turn without wiping out the whole crew.

Does fear ever come in to play with you while you are behind the wheel doing the sequences?

I get such a charge doing it, I always work with the best team and I always had the best guys. Sometimes I get so charged they have to try and hold me back. They’re more often than not saying “Vin, you don’t have to do this up”. To be honest, I think I like it too much to be self-conscious about it. 

What has Director Justin Lin brought to the franchise?

Justin kind of did his training for this on Tokyo Drift, where he got to experiment with every aspect of shooting car sequences, so he was primed and ready to take on this challenge of incorporating all that he had known and learned about shooting fast cars in action sequences and applying it to the story.  We had a good experience throughout making this. 

How do you view fear now you're a father?  How has it changed your attitude to film? 

You definitely are no longer thinking about your threshold for danger. Cockiness subsides. You are less anxious to go and do something as stunt that would otherwise just feed your ego. You have to take in consideration always every single thing you do. But that isn’t just limited to stunts; it’s limited to the type of work you put out there. I don’t have a fear of changing diapers!

How old is your baby now?

Nine months. She’s my little angel; she does things that no humans have ever even tried to do.

Like what?

Like wake me up in the morning! I’d never thought I had to worry about that again, I thought no human is going to try to wake me, and she, this little girl... you know, I’m sleeping like this and her head is right here. Just looking at daddy for the one second that he opens up an eye…and a smile comes up and it’s just joy! And yes, it does change your outlook on probably everything in your life.

What is the biggest surprise?

I’ve always been kind of this independent person that’s never needed anyone.

You don’t come across like that...

I need all my friends and family for the most, but even then, I’ve always been so independent. When I was a kid, five years old, I was always running ahead of my twin brother - trying to be independent. 

In your roles you come across as a certain character, but in person you’re so sociable and gentle, so I was wondering when you meet people what their perception is of you?  Especially when they see you’re not the kind of guy they would expect.

I’ve always been independent, and like I said, as a movie star you become a recluse to some degree.

Protective...

You definitely become protective and you become a little bit of a recluse because you don’t want to go out and deal with everything. As a New Yorker; the idea of being stalked just unnerves. And then you give that recluse or workaholic a little angel and he would never leave the home. As I’m talking to you now, I’m saying to myself I know I’m going to get home soon enough before she goes asleep to have a little daddy talk. She’s my biggest fan.