The Rock Is Not Pleased With Vin Diesel and His ‘Manipulation’

Daddy Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson did not come to play and when he rapped “it’s about drive, it’s about power,” Vin Diesel really should have listened. The Red Notice star talked candidly about his reaction to Diesel’s very aggressive plea that he partake in the next installment of the seemingly endless Fast & Furious franchise.

In an interview published this week, CNN asked Johnson about a truly wild November Instagram post wherein Diesel channeled big “pick me girl” vibes and begged Johnson to star in the upcoming tenth Fast & Furious film. The post, seen here, is deeply odd for a plethora of reasons. First of all, Johnson has previously and publicly said he wouldn’t be doing another Fast & Furious film. Secondly, Diesel’s attempt at a guilt-trip includes a bizarre declaration that his children refer to Johnson “as Uncle Dwayne” and, later, invokes an alleged “promise” he made to the late and former Fast & Furious Paul Walker. As though using his children and a deceased friend to get Johnson back on board was not enough, Diesel also stressed that he wanted Johnson to “rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny”???

Of that chaotic ‘gram, Johnson told the network that it left him “very surprised” and emphasized that he told Diesel “directly – and privately – that I would not be returning.” He continued on to call the post “an example of [Diesel’s] manipulation” and slam the mentions of his kids and Paul Walker:

Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding. My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise with gratitude and grace. It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I’m confident in the ‘Fast’ universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience, and I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter.

Words cannot describe how much I would love to read what the cast’s various group chats have to say about this.

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