Like an oncoming storm—or a movie character played by Dwayne Johnson, once he’s made the terrifying decision to chase you—it’s starting to seem like the Fast & Furious series’ #CandyAssGate might be truly inescapable. It’s now been nearly than a year and a half since Johnson first suggested that he was feuding with one of his co-stars on the series for being both “unprofessional” and a “candy ass,” damning accusations that were eventually laid at the feet of Dom Toretto himself, Vin Diesel. The two actors had apparently managed to mostly bury the hatchet, despite the efforts of that ol’ shit-stirrer Tyrese, but a new Rolling Stone profile on Johnson—who also revealed, rather charmingly, that he absolutely refuses to allow any of his movies to have sad or dark endings—might have kicked up a little more candy/ass-flavored dust.
First off, Johnson finally confirmed that the two men’s single scene together in last year’s The Fate Of The Furious was the product of clever editing, and that the pair never filmed together on the same set at all. The actor—who’s still got to share a franchise with Diesel, at least until his own spin-off, Hobbs, is finished shooting—was super-diplomatic through most of the conversation, saying that he and Diesel had “a few discussions, including an important face-to-face in my trailer,” during the movie’s filming. “And what I came to realize,” he said, “Is that we have a fundamental difference in philosophies on how we approach moviemaking and collaborating. It took me some time, but I’m grateful for that clarity. Whether we work together again or not.”
That suggestion that he might sit out Fast 9 wasn’t the only way Johnson let fans know he and Diesel are still, to some extent, at odds with each other, though. Flashing a bit of that Dwayne Johnson mischievousness, the actor couldn’t help but get in a dig near the end of the piece. From Josh Eells’ profile:
Say what you like about the man, he still knows how to cut a good wrestling promo.“I wish him all the best, and I harbor no ill will there, just because of the clarity we have.” He considers this, then lets out a big, sly laugh. “Actually, you can erase that last part about ‘no ill will.’ We’ll just keep it with the clarity.”
Oh Dwayne
