American actor Vin Diesel was discovered as a former bouncer and breakdancer before making his way to Hollywood. After being identified, he went on to become a renowned action star. The nickname “Diesel” comes from his days working as a nightclub bouncer in Manhattan. His real name is Mark Vincent, hence the “Vin.”
Vin Diesel was born in 1967 in New York City and was brought up in the infamous “projects.” However, this was public housing with a twist—an experimental community for struggling artists of all stripes.
Moreover, his step-father worked as a theater director, manager, and acting instructor. There were other artists everywhere: painters, writers, poets, and actors. Perhaps the young Diesel’s inclination toward the arts was natural.
But he also had to deal with growing up in the violent, drug-addled 1970s on the rough streets of Manhattan. Particularly challenging for someone with mixed ancestry, including those in black, Italian, and six other ethnic groups.
Diesel toiled in the trenches of the Big Apple for more than ten years, performing on largely off-Broadway stage roles and earning a living by busking and bouncing.
Vin Diesel drove to be good at everything, good at all the significant elements of filmmaking – acting, writing, directing, and producing
It’s astonishing to know someone to be good at anything they do since it is uncommon for someone to be excellent at everything without even trying. For instance, the American actor Vin Diesel, known for portraying a character in Fast & Furious, is considered good at anything.
“I think there’s some truth that I would like to be really good at everything. But the irony is, all I do is film, and my dreams and goals and ambitions are all around trying to master this art of filmmaking,” he said.
In addition to being an excellent actor, Vin Diesel has experience performing in off-Broadway plays. He explained that he didn’t get to work with cameras until about a particular year. Diesel also happened to direct a quick way to appear in front of the camera.
He says, “When I started, I was lucky enough to do off-Broadway plays. But I didn’t get to cameras yet. I didn’t start working with cameras until about 20 years after I’d been acting in New York City.”
He continued, “I actually started directing as a shortcut to get in front of the camera, as I clearly was not getting the [movie] roles. I’d licked enough stamps and sent out enough headshots over two decades that I had to come up with a new plan.”
Diesel has always found storytelling and raconteuring to be quite beautiful skills. He admired them as much as how people admired their favorite books. He almost said to his agent, “Don’t worry about the acting. I’m just going to keep writing and directing.”
As he has already mentioned, he already claimed that he is also writing, along with directing a film. Another skill that Vin Diesel possesses. He said, “I’m a writer. But I guess don’t exercise my writing ability in the traditional way. It’s miraculous how much a writing interest or experience in the writing world helps you as an actor with this sea of unfinished scripts that we’re supposed to turn into movies.”
He continued to explain what writing is to him and what it is like about producing, “And that writing ability has been one of the most valuable things in my career because invariably every line I’ve ever said has been modified.”
“The producing allows me to be a little more accountable for the overall production, the overall picture, which could include getting cast, which could include lobbying the studio to make sure that the film is being released with as much enthusiasm as we need. It could be choosing writers, directors,” he added.
He admitted that he loves playing the director role because it is challenging and requires three times as much time to finish a task as a director. Then when producers try to squeeze Diesel into movies, he sees it as a challenge for the industry.
And so he says, “So I love the director. I think it’s the most challenging. I love, love, love it. So the directing is super alluring for me and probably the sweet spot that I will fall back into.”
Diesel also added, “Acting is therapy. It’s the most therapeutic out of all of them. For a guy who grew up in search of an identity, when I play a role, the frame of that character is very solid. The parameters of that character are very clear, and the character is on paper, and there is something very therapeutic about committing to that person and not the world of mystery that I am.”
Along the way, Vin Diesel has proved several times that he is indeed good at everything. For instance, he co-wrote, directed, and starred in two independent films with modest budgets: the autobiographical Multi-Facial (1995), which was shown at the Cannes Feature Festival, and the moving indie film Strays (1997), which was about a homeless heroin dealer in New York.
In 1998, Steven Spielberg famously gave him his big break by casting him in a brief but memorable part in Saving Private Ryan. Diesel used that to land the lead part of notorious criminal Richard B. Riddick in the chilling science fiction thriller Pitch Black in 2000.
After a year, he rose to fame as the tough-talking Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious 2001. His action-packed triple crown’s third gem, starring stuntman-turned-spy Xander Cage, was xXx (2002). Even Diesel never imagined that all three movies would become successful franchises.
So, what else is he good at?
Vin Diesel disclosed his thoughts regarding how he handles himself and holds onto his acting dreams
Diesel revealed that he was raised in artist housing in New York City’s Westbeth, which was the city’s first publicly funded artist community and served as the inspiration for the subsequent SoHo and Village neighborhoods.
“There was a Christmas type of play that the kids were doing for all the grown-ups, and my brother was supposed to be the prince. Halfway through the production, he choked and didn’t want to go out and be the prince. So I went out and did the prince. It was very weird as I had a huge Afro,” he added.
Seemingly the kind of a New York version of Billy Elliot, he must be tough to survive on the rough streets, but he also has a very artistic side. Diesel shared his thought regarding matters with enthusiasm. He said, “Yeah, totally! Totally! Very artistic. A very present and celebrated artistic side. I remember singing old Broadway tunes to my grandmother, who just loved Clark Gable movies and musicals.”
“I remember performing for everyone. I was the class clown in grade school. But I loved to dance. I was a breakdancer, real New York City breakdancer. While Flashdance was going, I would go to Columbus Circle, the centre platform at the Times Square subway station, outside the Village gate, 8th Street, and Avenue of the Americas, and the famous Washington Square Park,” he added.
Then he stated, “You had to practice because some other crew could come and clown you and take your crowd. So you would be working, and in some ways that was my first job, to be a street performer.”
Furthermore, growing up in the city seems like walking on a tight rope. Though to most people, even with the fact that there are more opportunities in the city, one can’t disguise the reality of how dangerous to live in it. Vin Diesel revealed how difficult it was for him to live in the city as he got older.
He shared, “Growing up in the city; you have to make a decision about whether you’re going to be predator or prey. At a very young age, I thought that when I got older, I was going to be on the tougher side. I did learn how to handle myself.”
Diesel also did boxing when he was young. He stated, “I started boxing at Gleason’s Gym when I was 15 years old when it was still on 30th Street. You had Roberto Duran fighting in there. You had Sugar Ray; you had all the great fighters there.”
Moreover, Diesel mentioned that he got into bouncing before entering Hollywood. If any individuals conducted in-depth research on him or admirers kept track of every interview he did, they may learn another astonishing fact about him.
Then Vin Diesel was asked if doing boxing got him into bouncing. He laughed and explained, “I first went to Studio 54 when I was 15, and there were so many beautiful women I lost my mind. I could not believe all of these beautiful women. And I was already dancing on the Street. Literally on the dirty Street. On the dirty train platform. So dancing in a nightclub was just like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ And nobody knows.”
Diesel then revealed the transition of how it happened. He continued, “I’m going to give you a really good one. When I was 16 years old, I went to a club called Danceteria where Madonna was discovered, where all these people were discovered back in’ 83-ish. The first time I went in there, I went in with the Beastie Boys because they’d grown up in my neighborhood, and I’d known them, and I was going in as their dancer.”
“So while they were performing, I would be dancing on stage. So that’s how I got addicted to the club world at about 16 years old. I went out every single night to dance to the point that my money was wet [with sweat] when I came home because I was dancing so much. And then I saw how much money these bouncers were making. So at 17, I became a bouncer. That was the transition,” he added.
However, despite his hard work on different sidelines before his career as a world-class action star, Diesel revealed that he still kept his acting dreams and that someone taught him, “I kept at it [acting dreams]. You know who taught me that, by the way? I was doing extra work in New York City in the ’80s, and I met Harrison Ford.”
He continued, “I said, “Can I just ask you a question?” And he said, “Sure.” We sat down on two apple boxes, and I said, “I don’t know anybody who’s a movie star. I’m going to do it. I know I’m going to be a movie star, but is there anything you can tell me? Any secrets you can give me?”
“And he said, “I can tell you this. Thirteen years ago, I and 15 buddies went out to California to be actors. Two years went by; two people went back home. Three years went by; two more people went back home. Five years went by, the rest of them went home. I just never went home.” The message was clear – persistence,” he stated,
Aside from all the skills he mentioned, he claimed that he wanted to do more, “I’m still hell-bent on trying to master film. I’m so vested in that that I don’t think I can ever really give anything else a fair shot. I played with being a boxer when I was younger.”
Then so, as he answered, he listed all the things he did when he was still younger, “I played with music when I was younger. I tried to do things, but never to the point of getting in the way of this. I wanted to realize great film. I didn’t need immediate gratification at the end of it.”
“I wanted the opportunity to tweak, tweak, tweak, you know, to embellish in the way that film allows you. There is something sacred about movies to me. I grew up on movies, and I never watched TV. I would rather watch a movie a hundred times than watch TV. Like yeah, I want to be the best that I can be in this field and not just as an actor, not just as any label. Just as somebody that shepherds remarkable film,” he added.
Vin Diesel talked about Fast & Furious and his acting role
This spring saw the release of Fast & Furious 6, the final installment of Diesel’s hugely popular second trilogy. This fall will see the premiere of the third Riddick movie, while 2015 will see the debut of the third Xander Cage feature.
All anticipated to make a lot of money and receive the critical acclaim that usually avoids films with a lot of muscle. Producer Vin Diesel has come to be known for pushing the limits of action filmmaking with complex characters and sophisticated narratives that blend incredible stunts and intense personal conflict.
Vin Diesel will play Dominic Toretto in Fast and Furious 6, which sees the evolution of the Fast and Furious film series. He noted that several factors support his conviction that Fast Six will go down in history. He explained, “I think Fast 6 is going to make history for a few reasons. Never has a character been resurrected by the audience.”
Then he continued, “The Letty character [Michelle Rodriguez] has been resurrected by the audience. We’ve never seen that in this town. A studio saying, “No, we’re done! We’re gonna kill that character.” And the audience saying, “No, you’re not!”
“I always knew she wasn’t dead. If you look at Fast four, you’ll see the way we shot where there is no verification of her death. But audience reaction on social media is how I first got the confidence to manifest it, to make sure that it was going to happen,” he added.
Diesel was then asked how much he gets involved physically in the Fast movies; then, he talked about the feeling of how he made it home. He explained, “To the point where there are days I come home, drop to my knees, kiss my kids, and can’t believe I made it home.”
In addition to the Fast & Furious movie, Vin Diesel has two other major films coming out soon. This entails two significant publicity tours. Diesel then answered that it depends on when he would start acting again. And so he explained, “It depends. If they get Kojak done fast enough and if Ang Lee is ready to direct Kojak in New York, then we get to start a movie.”
“There are a couple of smaller things that would be interesting. I got a script about a guy named Gary Gygax who is like the grandfather of MMOs – massively multiplayer online games – who created Dungeons & Dragons,” he added.
Diesel, like Harrison Ford, had a successful career playing tough dudes in popular action-adventure series. Which character would Vin Diesel choose: Richard Riddick or Dominic Toretto? Vin Diesel answered what persona most closely resembles him between the choices.
He said, “That’s a damn good question. Between Riddick and Dom, I would have to sayDom. I realized something after watching the latest Riddick that might sound a little weird. And maybe it’s because I have kids now. But it’s uncomfortable for me to watch me as Riddick.”
Then he continued, “He’s so dark that I feel almost apologetic for going to that dark place. I feel embarrassed that I can have that darkness in me to portray that role. And I love the franchise, and I love the character. There’s something very therapeutic about that character.”
However, Diesel believes that because Riddick is so obviously struggling with concerns of origin and identity, he is arguably the most therapeutic of the three characters. He explained, “It’s a little bit of an out-of-body experience when I watch any character, quite frankly. But the Riddick character… the Dom character, gets to celebrate family, which is something I can identify with. These are admirable things. He’s got a code. And he drinks beer!”
Vin Diesel, behind the camera, talks about himself and his family
As someone who is a world-class action star, how does Vin Diesel do when he is with his family? Does he have enough time to spend time for his family? Diesel revealed that it was a constant struggle. He stated, “The type of work that we do…to really, really do it well; it’s not too easy to turn it off.”
Besides being a world-class action star, Vin Diesel also writes as part of his job. It can be challenging to explain why things at work are essential to your children, and Vin goes through the same situation. He shared his thought, “How do you explain to your kids that you have to write tomorrow’s pages or you have to write anything? For writers in general, it’s hard to explain to your wife, your friends, your family.”
Then he continued, “Because so often as a writer you can be sitting with nothing in your hands, it can look like you’re doing nothing but writing in your head. Someone can feel like you’re neglecting them, or you’re somewhere else. With my kids, it’s all or nothing. They won’t let me do a thing. It’s “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” As it should be. And I’m grateful for it.”
Then Diesel also shared his thoughts about his family, especially fatherhood. Being a father is indeed a huge responsibility that every man must shoulder. On the other hand, Vin Diesel is undoubtedly trying to excel at his fatherhood and for his family.
Diesel then shared his thought about parenthood, “Totally. And ain’t that a beast. I don’t think there’s a parent on the planet that doesn’t wake up and think, “How can I be a better parent?” It’s tricky now for a lot of reasons. The most glaring thing is the Internet.”
“The Internet changed the game forever – the way movies are made, the way presidents are elected, and the way we raise our children. Our ancestors were so lucky to be right because they were the parents. And now, no parent can be more right than a computer or Wikipedia. There’s so much access for kids.”
On the other note, Diesel’s take on whether he is a slacker on anything, to which he answers with a laugh. He says, “Oh my God, yes. I’m bad at communications. I’m bad at keeping in touch with people. My mind goes so deep into the thing I’m working on that I have tunnel vision issues. But that’s the nature of film. You can’t stop thinking about it.”
He also revealed that he has a twin brother and that they were rivals even before they were born, “It was either sink or swim.” he stated. Then he continued later on, “I have a twin brother, and that kind of helps. We both came out of the womb competitive. It was either sink or swim. When you come out of the womb, and all you’re looking at is your mother, and you have a twin brother, and there’s no father there, it’s fight or flight. You’re ready to kill everybody. You will win! If only for the survival of your bloodline.”
Furthermore, the personal aspect of things is also doing well. Diesel, the father of two young children, has been romantically involved with Mexican fashion model Paloma Jimenez for many years. Between then and now, he has been giving back to the impoverished streets where he initially resided.
Despite this, Vin Diesel uses his influence and generosity to support several charities by donating close to $2 million. His One Race Worldwide Film Foundation also supports the growth of diverse national and international voices in the global entertainment industry.