Vin Diesel On Why ‘The Fate Of The Furious’ Won’t Net Him An Oscar

The Fate of the Furious is dominating the box office, proving fans are eager for more of the wild action and family bonding that has become a staple of The Fast & the Furious franchise. While those films are certainly big money makers, that doesn’t necessarily translate into critical success, and The Fate of the Furious has a long way to go on the road to the Academy Awards. For Vin Diesel, he knows just why he’ll never win an Oscar for his role in The Fast & the Furious franchise, and he spilled that secret in a new interview.

The Fate of the Furious‘ Vin Diesel Says He’s a Studio Scapegoat

Speaking with the Worcester Telegraph, Diesel says he knows he won’t be getting any Oscars for The Fate of the Furious and, as he tells it, there’s a practical reason for that. As the head of the franchise, Vin says Universal Studio heads put him at the forefront, so any obstacles or failings can be placed at the actor’s feet.

One such example cited by Vin comes with the announcement he made last year that Fast 9 was set for April 2019 and Fast 10 would see an April 2021 theatrical release.

“I think they do that to bind me to them. ‘Let’s just say Vin did it!'”

This leaves Vin Diesel feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place, as far as achieving recognition for his work on The Fate of the Furious and future installments in The Fast & the Furious franchise.

“When you’re the heart and soul of a franchise,” Diesel says, “you get blamed for the good and the bad.”

Fights Aside, Vin Diesel Says They’re All Still Family

Gulf Times reports that Vin Diesel is opening up about being the only on-set producer for The Fate of the Furious, adding that he wore many hats on the set of that recent installment in the franchise. This claim comes in spite of the fact that Fast & Furious franchise producer Neal Moritz, screenwriter Chris Morgan, and Michael Fottrell are also producers on the eighth film.

In any event, Diesel says his acting and producing duties are sidelined by having to serve as peacemaker among the cast and the crew. It might seem odd that Vin speaks about frequent bickering on The Fate of the Furious set, considering how often that same actor/producer has boasted about the family atmosphere among everyone on the Fast & Furious sets.

Vin Diesel says that even the closest of families have their spats and that’s just the way it was with The Fate of the Furious. About that feud? Vin suggests Dwayne Johnson was just having a bad day when he shared that initial rant on Instagram. Everything that happened since was just the result of events spiraling out of control.

“You can’t really feud with me too much if I’m hiring you, right?” The Fate of the Furious star says with a smile. “People are all human. I think it was a hard shoot. I’m a good scapegoat, like if someone messes up on scheduling….”

Differences aside, Diesel says he still loves Dwayne and adds that he thinks of Johnson as his little brother, so bygones will be bygones. Vin adds that he’s protective of the franchise and will look out for every one of The Fate of the Furious stars, which does include Dwayne. For all of their conflicts and the media attention blowing those conflicts out of proportion, Vin says he’s very proud to have Johnson in his film and proud of everything his fellow actor has brought to the Fast & Furious franchise.

Vin Diesel hints that his feud with Dwayne Johnson was just the one that reached the media, as he explains that working with the same people day in and day out is bound to lead to ego trips and disagreements.

As it turned out, those behind the scenes conflicts may have enhanced the actors’ performances, because The Fate of the Furious is set to reach a $104 million opening.

[Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]