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As Fast & Furious 11 heads into production, it's impossible to imagine anyone else as Dominic Toretto. But what if Vin Diesel never got the role? Believe it or not, Gone in 60 Seconds star Timothy Olyphant was originally considered for Dom, but when he turned it down, Diesel became the heart and soul of the franchise. With 11 movies, a TV show, and even a theme park ride, it's safe to say that casting Vin Diesel over Timothy Olyphant changed the future of Fast & Furious forever. But would the franchise have been the same without Diesel’s family-first philosophy and gravelly-voiced one-liners?
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0:00
I live my life a quarter mile at a time
0:02
For those 10 seconds or less, I'm free. The Fast and Furious film franchise is one defined by overpowered muscle cars
0:12
high-speed chases, and perhaps, most importantly, the presence of one specific action superstar
0:18
Brian Earl Spilner. Sounds like a serial killer name. Is that what you are
0:23
No, man. Don't come around here again. For nearly 25 years, Dominic Toretto has been the face of the Fast family
0:30
But as we'll soon discover, Vin Diesel wasn't always attached to the role
0:34
In fact, the franchise almost hired a very different actor for the first Fast feature
0:38
When The Fast and the Furious roared in the theaters, audiences probably weren't expecting a series of films spanning more than 10 features, a spinoff film, an animated show, and a theme park ride
0:49
But after the first film's dazzling $200 million box office take, the Fast and Furious franchise became a staple for moviegoers around the world
0:57
In fact, there has been a new Fast and Furious film within three years of each release since 2001
1:03
and with each installment, the cars get louder, the family gets bigger, and the stakes get a lot higher
1:08
It's an insane achievement for a film series with such humble roots, and in more ways than one, it never could have happened without its leading man
1:16
So what do you say? Am I worthy? You don't know yet. But you're in
1:21
Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto is many things. A career criminal on the run, a grieving son and fearful father
1:27
an expert street racer and cunning marksman. Thought this was going to be a street fight
1:31
Government agent, barbecue lover, but perhaps above all else, Dom is a family man
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The most important thing in life will always be the people in this room. Salute me, familia
1:43
Salute. Salute. Could any other actor have taken the wheel of this global phenomenon
1:49
Well, in the beginning, another sheriff almost came to town. Raylan Givens
1:54
Don't suppose you'd believe me if I said no. Timothy Olyphant is perhaps best known as the peacekeeping character actor of our time
2:01
The legendary Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood his continued run as U Marshal Raylan Givens on Justified the devout Mormon lawman from Fargo The Mandalorian Cobb Vanth in the appropriately titled Chapter 9 The Marshal the list goes on and with a distinct lack of Dom Toretto
2:17
types in the mix. But before he took the throne as TV's ultimate do-gooder, Oliphant landed a supporting role
2:22
that would act as not only a precursor for the roles he was destined to play, but also
2:27
as a prototype for the Fast and the Furious itself. Ah, s***, what are you doing here
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I told you I don't know anything. Yeah, but you're a liar. You're gonna get me fired, man
2:37
Fired? That's not good. You're on parole, right? Gone in 60 Seconds, released almost exactly a year before the first Fast film
2:43
saw Timothy Olyphant put his white-knuckle skills to use as Detective Dreykov
2:48
In the movie, Olyphant is in hot pursuit of a car thief with a heart of gold
2:52
a good guy who does bad guy stuff, just trying to do right by his family
2:55
Sound familiar? The film was a major hit and took in a profit almost identical
2:59
to what the Fast and the Furious would accomplish. And despite cruising for the lawmen in Gone in 60 Seconds
3:05
Oliphant's ruggedly charming performance proved very exciting for Hollywood movers and shakers
3:10
specifically a group of filmmakers developing a similar project. In the late 90s, producer Neil Moritz and director Rob Cohen
3:16
were hard at work on a then-untitled crime film. Set in the world of illegal street racing and local car culture
3:22
Universal Pictures quickly came around to the concept and negotiations began. Though Moritz and Cohen had a co-lead locked and loaded in Skull star Paul Walker, Universal already had their sights set on a future Dominic Toretto
3:34
In fact, as Neil Moritz recalls, the studio said, If you get Timothy Olyphant to play the role of Dominic Toretto, the movie's greenlit
3:41
Ultimately, Olyphant turned down the role because, well, he just knew he wasn't right for it
3:45
I remember thinking, I can't make this work. I was like, what am I doing? Why would I be in this
3:51
And although the crew worried the film may never see the light of day, producer Neil Moritz had another actor in mind
3:57
someone who hadn't quite exploded, but was well on his way to becoming a major force in American cinema
4:03
Though, maybe not in the ways you'd expect. Hey, you got a f***ing problem you looking at my girl
4:07
I smack him in the head! He doesn even say a word to me Like he can believe I about to throw him a beat Vin Diesel is a tough intense action star His machismo and heavy attitude have practically come to embody who he is even
4:21
as a public figure. But he didn't necessarily start that way. In fact, Diesel was originally discovered by Steven Spielberg because of a short film
4:29
Multifacial is a personal, intimate portrait of an actor struggling with his identity
4:33
At the time of its extremely limited release, Diesel was a serious, high-minded actor and
4:38
student who then directed, wrote, and starred in his own film, Strays
4:42
Spielberg saw these early performances and cast him in Saving Private Ryan
4:54
Ultimately changing his life forever. Over the next few years, Diesel landed interesting roles in cult classics of all genres
5:01
From indie crime thrillers to highly regarded animation masterpieces and sci-fi action sleepers
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Diesel became an increasingly interesting character actor. Fast and Furious producer Neil Moritz said of his early exposure to Diesel's work
5:13
I had seen Pitch Black and knew Vin from his earlier short film, and I had convinced the studio that he had to be the guy
5:19
With the studio's blessing and an apparent victory lap on the horizon, the filmmakers approached Vin Diesel with the highest hopes
5:25
I'm sitting at the bar waiting for him, Neil Moritz said, and boy, when those doors open, here comes the biggest star in the world
5:31
Even though he didn't have that bankability at that point, He just had that confidence that he was a star
5:37
But as it turned out, Vin Diesel wasn't ready to wave the flag just yet
5:41
Producer Moritz said, I thought Vin was coming there to convince me to hire him, and in reality, I had to convince him to be Dominic Choretto
5:48
I read the script and was like, eh, I don't know, Vin Diesel said. But perhaps knowing Diesel's history as a serious performer and writer
5:54
the film's crew offered the actor to work with newly hired Hollywood script maven, David Ayer
5:59
Of their process, Ayer said, I sat down with Vin and really created that character with him
6:03
Yeah, there were characters in the script, but it needed life. It needed to become real. It needed
6:08
to become dimensional. He had a few really specific ideas about the character, and those
6:11
little touchstones he handed me became something I could flesh out. Diesel, having been granted a
6:16
voice and validation was intrigued enough to give the untitled film a shot With a fresh vision the actor accepted the Dominic Toretto mantle and the Fast family was born Though Dominic Toretto did not appear in the sequel and had only a cameo in Tokyo Drift
6:30
Vin Diesel's return in the fourth Fast film marked a major turning point in the franchise
6:35
Put simply, the Fast and Furious movies became events after Diesel's return
6:40
Something big, overblown, and insane enough to keep people talking. Films that reach a wide audience
6:45
by serving classical action heroes paired with the craziest stunts you'll see outside the latest Tom Cruise flick
6:51
Vin Diesel is as committed to franchise films as they come. Aside from Fast and Furious, his work on the XXX film series
6:57
his ongoing portrayal of Guardians of the Galaxy's Groot, and persistent revivals of the pitch black universe
7:03
prove that the actor prefers to develop characters throughout many years. This has never been more apparent than in his reign as Dominic Toretto
7:10
And with another Fast film currently in the works, there's even more family to come
7:14
Well, I ain't hard to find. You sum . Looking back on the original casting choice, Timothy Olyphant
7:22
does make sense in some weird way. Much like Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto
7:26
Sheriff Bullock and Raylan Givens are violent men driven by a need to do
7:30
what's right. There's an uncompromising aspect to Olyphant's performances that oddly mirror Vin Diesel's own brand
7:36
of tough guy bravado. It was not much of a stretch to imagine Olyphant's charismatic
7:40
valor on the other side of the law. He's the type of fella that walks under a flock of
7:44
birds and is surprised when he ends up And as for his commitment to franchises, the actor has been serving Justified fans since 2006
7:52
As further proof of Oliphant's family loyalty, the actor even turned to the Deadwood franchise for an original film 13 years after the series ended
8:00
And though Star Wars roles often settle their actors with multiple appearances, it was no less endearing to see Cobb Vanth show up again in the book of Boba Fett
8:08
But Timothy Oliphant's talents and commitment aren't the problem. When you just try to imagine anyone else trying to play Dominic Toretto, it feels wrong
8:16
And that's because Vin Diesel is everything Dominic Toretto should be. His bluster and bravado are the real reasons so many show up to see another freeway chase
8:25
And this muddy definition between character and actor make Diesel's Toretto downright irreplaceable
8:30
And there's just no way to swerve it