Fast and Furious 8: Vin Diesel pays emotional tribute to Paul Walker at premiere

'There wasn't a second that went by that we weren't thinking about our brother Pablo'

Jack Shepherd
Monday 10 April 2017 08:50 BST
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Throughout the last seven Fast and Furious films, there has been one core theme: family. Speaking at the world premiere for The Fate of the Furious - the eighth instalment in the franchise - leading man Vin Diesel spoke about this family, seen both on and off screen.

“Tonight here’s something for the family I keep off screen,” he told the packed audience, explaining how their bond away from the camera adds to the film.

Diesel then paid tribute to Paul Walker - who starred in every other Fast and Furious film, minus Tokyo Drift - saying there would be no franchise “if it wasn’t for the decades of love my brother Pablo put in.”

He continued: "There wasn't a second we made this movie, not a minute - you can ask Gary (Gray, director) - not a day that went by that we weren't thinking about our brother Pablo, how to bring him into the movie, how to represent him, and how to make something that he would be proud of. Pablo, I hope you are proud tonight.”

What made the tribute all the more touching was Walker's mother Cheryl and daughter Meadow also being in the screening, something Diesel told the audience. Walker died in 2013 following a car crash.

Meanwhile, the reviews for The Fate of the Furious are in, splitting critical opinion in two. There's also been some controversy following a feud between The Rock and Diesel. Fast and Furious 8 reaches cinemas 14 April.

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