COMMENT | Even before Paul Walker's death late last year in a tragic car crash, Vin Diesel had put his foot to the floor in promoting 'Fast and Furious 7' through his Facebook page. Since Walker's death on November 30th however, his Facebook feed has been less about promoting the movie and more about remembering his late friend.
The video Diesel posted on his Facebook page on 8th January includes over 18 minutes of footage of Walker and Diesel when they were not on screens together in the 'Fast and Furious' franchise. The most intriguing and saddening moments of the video feature Diesel and Walker on the set of 'Fast and Furious 7', the film that is now being carefully adapted to give Walker a proper send off and ensure the franchise survives without him.
Walker's love and knowledge of cars
Even after so many years of working on the fast car franchise, it is clear that Walker still loved cars. This love of speed may have been what killed him but it is clear from the behind the scenes footage that he knew a lot about cars and was passionate about sharing his love and knowledge with others. In the video, Walker can be seen telling Diesel about the car in front of them and how there are only five made per year. Diesel looks like a man who has heard this kind of thing before from his good buddy Paul but listens to him pour out his information anyway. In a frighteningly prescient clip later in the video, Walker even mentions the Porsche that Hollywood star James Dean was killed in back in 1955.
Walker's 40th birthday
Walker also celebrated his 40th birthday on set surrounded by his cast mates on September 12th 2013. In the video, Diesel is seen gathering a procession to bring Walker his cake complete with lit candles. The cast and crew sing him 'Happy Birthday' showing their close sense of camaraderie. After blowing out the candles, Walker and Diesel have a hug and surrounded by director James Wan, stars Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez, Walker could not look happier.
Kurt Russell
New entrant to the franchise Kurt Russell is also glimpsed in behind the scenes footage and recentlycalled Paul Walker 'a terrific guy'. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, he said 'I just met him on the [movie] and I was just very struck by how similar our lives are and how we looked at life. All the things he did outside of acting that he really enjoyed were similar to the things that I like to do. He was a hell of a good guy'. As tragic as Walker's death is, the chance to see him having a great time behind the scenes is a very welcome one indeed. Hopefully Diesel may post more videos of the star on the set of 'Fast and Furious 7' in the future. He recently posted a photo on his Facebook pagecaptioned 'there was a unique sense of completion, of pride we shared… in the film we were now completing… the magic captured… and, in just how far we've come…'.
