When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel last locked biceps, they threw each other through a half-dozen walls and nearly flattened Rio. That was, of course, in the fictional world of Fast 5, but now it seems some of that silver screen hostility has bled into the real world. And the fate of one of the most beloved and lucrative film franchises in Hollywood—as well as the universe itself—may hang in the balance.
On Monday, The Rock posted an angry message on Instagram directed at certain unprofessional “candy asses” on the set of Fast 8, the eighth film in the Fast and the Furious franchise:
“This is my final week of shooting #FastAndFurious8. There’s no other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this one. An incredible hard working crew. UNIVERSAL has been great partners as well. My female co-stars are always amazing and I love ‘em. My male co-stars however are a different story. Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t. The ones that don’t are too chicken shit to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses. When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling—you’re right.”
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Now, there are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and you do not fuck with The Rock. This is the guy who, when asked how he knew the U.S. had taken out Osama bin Laden before anyone else, responded, “I got friends in high places and low places.” He’s also goddamn enormous.While rumors spread that The Rock was pissed at Scott Eastwood, who by all accounts screams entitled douchebag, TMZ is now reporting that it was none other than franchise leader Vin Diesel, aka Dominic Toretto, who did not smell what The Rock was cooking.
“The Rock’s rant about unprofessional male co-stars was targeted at Vin Diesel,” the gossip site reported, and “the 2 had a secret meeting on the Fast 8 set Tuesday to hash things out. Production sources tell TMZ ... when the Rock went nuts on social media Monday night, claiming certain male co-stars were not stand up guys and too ‘chicken shit’ to confront him ... he was referring to Vin.” “We’re told The Rock has butted heads with Vin during the production, in part because V.D. is a producer and has made decisions that didn’t sit well with the former wrestling champ,” they added (The Rock is also a producer on the film). “Our sources say The Rock and Vin had a meeting on the Atlanta set mid-day Tuesday ... partly because tensions were running so high it was almost impossible to shoot scenes. We do not know if they resolved their issues.”
TMZ previously reported that many of the cast members were upset with The Rock for his subgram, since it made each and every one of them a suspect. Various other tabloids have reported a clash of egos on set, with E! News writing that shooting on Fast 8 “wasn’t easy for anyone” but was “especially” hard on The Rock.
“Things on set just ‘didn't feel exactly the same’ this time around,” an insider told E! “And while Johnson ‘is the best guy on the planet to work with,’ he’s ‘also a very emotional guy’ and ‘likes things to go as he sees fit [while] also being fair.’”
Perhaps the boys’ co-star, Furiosa—aka Charlize Theron—can help squash the beef. She knows a thing or two about ‘em, after all.
