Paul Walter Hauser likely won’t be joining the Fast & Furious family anytime.
The I, Tonya star called out franchise lead Vin Diesel in a recent interview with CinemaBlend, accusing him of mistreating his fellow cast and crew members on the sets of his films — though the two actors have never worked together.
When the interviewer asked Hauser about the arc of his character, Embarrassment, in the new Pixar animated film Inside Out 2, comparing him to Diesel’s performance as Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor balked.
“Please don’t say that,” he replied. “I like to think I am on time and approachable.”
“I love people, but when I hear stories about Hollywood actors who get paid really well and mistreat people… I out them constantly, and it’s a blast,” he added.
ET has reached out Diesel’s team for comment.
This isn’t the first time that Diesel has been called out in the press. The action star has shared a public back-and-forth with Dwayne Johnson after an alleged feud was sparked following Johnson’s introduction to the Fast & Furious franchise in 2011’s Fast Five.
The alleged tension began in 2016 when Johnson called a few of his male Fast & Furious co-stars “candy a**es” and “unprofessional” on Instagram, which fans quickly assumed was a reference to Diesel. A source told ET at the time that Diesel and Johnson definitely clashed on set during filming.
Johnson later vowed in 2021 that there was “no chance” of him returning to star in a Fast & Furious movie — with plans instead to spin off his and Jason Statham’s character in a series of Hobbs & Shaw films.
However, the Fast X post-credits scene featured Jason Momoa’s villain calling Hobbs (Johnson) to tell him he’s coming for him next — all but confirming Johnson’s return for the 11th Fast film. The actor will also star in an upcoming Hobbs-focused Fast & Furious movie that will bridge the gap between Fast X and the upcoming Fast X: Part II.
“It was no easy task, because so much has been created in this universe,” Diesel said of Johnson’s return in a Fast X featurette. “To tie up all these storylines, this character needed to come back into the mythology.”
The franchise star previously told ET that he was proud of each member of the “great cast” that makes up the extended Fast family.
“We lead with love,” he shared. “We try to create an environment where people can do their best work.”
Back in April, in an interview for his Armchair Expert podcast, Dax Shepard asked John Cena — who starred in 2021’s F9: The Fast Saga and 2023’s Fast X as Jakob Toretto, the brother to Diesel’s Dom Toretto — about the feud rumors.
“There’s certainly rumors about that. I can’t deny that,” Cena admitted with a laugh. “You have two very alpha-driven people. You get two, there can only be one.”
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