When Paul Walker passed away the Fast and the Furious world would never be the same. Without a doubt, Paul Walker's involvement in the first film of the hugely successful franchise helped propel it to what it is today. Along with Vin Diesel, Fast and the Furious owes everything to Paul. Since the tragic accident, heartwarming stories about the type of person Paul was have come out. On top of this, a couple of his castmates have shared anecdotes about him. So much so that fans wonder if he was actually friends with any of them, such as Tyrese Gibson. Thanks to a 20th-anniversary article on the first Fast and the Furious by Entertainment Weekly, we now know what his original co-stars actually thought of the man, the myth, and the legend that is Paul Walker. Let's take a look...
He Was A Man Worthy Of The Hype, According To His Castmates
For those who don't remember, Paul Walker passed away in a tragic car accident alongside the driver of the car. When this happened, Paul was on his way from a charity event while on a break from filming the seventh Fast and the Furious movie in 2013. The 40-year-old actor's passing directly impacted the end of the movie which was a tribute to him.
While almost all of his co-stars said some really nice thing about him directly after his passing, some fans wonder what they think of Paul today. In an interview by Entertainment Weekly, the original cast of The Fast and the Furious shared what they really thought of the late actor, years after his death.
"Paul Walker, nicest, humblest, most gracious guy ever," Noel Gugliemi, who played Hector, said to Entertainment Weekly. "He didn't care if you were the window washer on-set or the director, he'd treat everybody the same."
According to the vast majority of his fellow castmates, Paul Walker was the type of man who everyone either wanted to be or be with. He had an air about him that immediately captured the room. As producer Neal Mortiz said, "He just had that thing."
"What I remember most about filming [on the first Fast] was Race Wars," Chad Lindberg, who played Jesse, explained. "It was the peak of summer, the best atmosphere you could possibly have in the air, and what stands out to me is my scene with Paul. It was just that magic hour in the evening and I remember saying to Paul, 'I really love working with you, dude,' and he was like, 'I love working with you, too.' He was just the coolest dude and most amazing spirit you've ever met in your life."
"It sounds so cliché but it was just very easy between the two of us," Jordana Brewster, who played Mia Torreto, said. "It can't be replicated because I loved him so much and he loved me. I fell harder for Paul as he got older. I thought he got better- and better-looking. And I think a lot of people didn't appreciate how multidimensional he was until he passed. He was into so many things and just a supersmart dude who wasn't solely fixated on the business. Strangely enough, I watched this Disney movie [1998's Meet the Deedles] yesterday where he was playing this surfer kid who's stuck as a forest ranger, and I'm like, 'Paul's so good!' When I look back at his work, I don't get sad. I thought I would, but it's actually really nice to see him."
How The Death Affected Them
Given the fact that Paul Walker was beloved by his castmates, it goes without saying that his sudden and tragic passing really affected them.
"When Paul passed away, yes, it was incredibly hard on us, but what I didn't realize right away was how incredibly hard it was on the fans," producer Neal Mortiz said. "So when we had the first test screening for Furious 7 and people were going to see Paul again, we were incredibly nervous. I was standing out in the lobby and a couple kids came up to me and thanked us for making the movie. They needed the closure with Paul, just like we did."
"He had this ability to see," Vin Diesel explained. "Every time we'd come out of a premiere, it would just be me and him, everybody would always give us our moment, and he'd always say, 'Vin, the best one's still in the can.' I'd be like, 'You didn't hear them, Paul?! They're going crazy! What do you mean the best one's still in the can?!'"
Without a doubt, Paul Walker touched the lives of nearly every person he came into contact with It wasn't all just an act. The man was truly an authentic, kind, and effervescent soul.
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