Paul Walter Hauser’s interview with CinemaBlend at the “Inside Out 2” press event is going viral because he criticized Vin Diesel for allegedly mistreating cast and crew on set. Hauser and Diesel have never worked together, and it seems Hauser isn’t interested in doing so because of what he’s heard about Diesel.
When the interviewer compared Hauser’s role in “Inside Out 2” to Vin Diesel’s work, Hauser replied, “Please don’t say that.” He added, “I like to think I am on time and approachable,” hinting that Diesel might not be. Hauser continued, “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.”
There have been reports over the years that Diesel is often late to set, which is said to have caused a conflict with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during the making of the “Fast & Furious” movies. Diesel told Men’s Health in 2021 that his conflict with Johnson was because he used “tough love” to get a great performance from him. “It was a tough character to embody, the Hobbs character,” Diesel said. He explained, “My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needed to be. As a producer to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to take Dwayne Johnson, who’s associated with wrestling, and we’re going to force this cinematic world, audience members, to regard his character as someone that they don’t know.’”
Diesel said he had to step in to get the Hobbs performance he wanted from Johnson. He said, “Hobbs hits you like a ton of bricks. That’s something that I’m proud of, that aesthetic. That took a lot of work. We had to get there and sometimes, at that time, I could give a lot of tough love. Not Felliniesque, but I would do anything I’d have to do in order to get performances in anything I’m producing.”
Johnson and Diesel have apparently settled their feud, with Johnson returning to the “Fast & Furious” series in the credits scene of “Fast X.”
Last year, a former assistant of Diesel sued him, claiming that in 2010 he pinned her against a wall in a hotel suite and masturbated in front of her. Diesel has “categorically denied” the allegations.