Fast X Stars Comment on Movie Bringing Back Major Characters to the Franchise in Cameos

For long-standing franchises like Fast & Furious, a new instalment means that it cannot be complete without fan service. Fast X brought back two major characters from the franchise with Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson appearing in cameos. After the film’s launch last week, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez spoke about the cameos in a recent interview. Here’s more on what they said.

Stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez talk about Gal Gadot and The Rock’s cameos

Gal Gadot last appeared in the Fast and Furious franchise as Gisele in Furious 7. Dwayne Johnson on the other hand did not reprise his role as Luke Hobbs after the 2019 spinoff, Hobbs & Shaw. His beef with actor Vin Diesel has been dubbed as a reason for The Rock not appearing in the movies after The Fate of the Furious (2017).

In Fast X however, while Gal Gadot appeared in a cameo as Gisele, The Rock appeared in the mid-credits scene, teasing his return in the upcoming movies from the franchise. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vin Diesel said,

“The conversations are what makes the best movie? What feels right for a franchise? How do you make as many people happy in this world? And both of them clearly make people happy. Underscore that with this running theme of unity that prevails in the Fast and Furious saga, and it’s a match made in heaven.”

Michelle Rodriguez added,

“I was laughing my butt off. I was like, “Ha, ha, you try getting away with something like that in your franchise!” It’s crazy what we get away with. The whole Gal storyline had been in the works for a while, a couple of movies in, and there’s even footage shot already so it didn’t surprise me as much as Dwayne coming back. That was like really cool.”

Gisele and Hobbs’ comeback aren’t the only high points of Fast X. As Paul Walker is continued to be missed as Brian O’Connor, the creators didn’t exactly attempt to bring him back using body doubles or CGI. Instead, Paul Walker too appeared in Fast X, via archival footage in a flashback scene.

As Connor continues to be alive in the movie, Fast X makes it clear, like all the other movies that came before it, after Paul Walker’s demise, that there’s always a place for Brian O’Connor at the table. But in the meantime, we have Meadow Walker, Paul Walker’s daughter paying a tribute to his legacy in the franchise, with her cameo in Fast X.