Vin Diesel wasn’t always going to be Vin Diesel. He was originally just Mark Sinclair, a theatre-dwelling, screenwriting thespian making an acclaimed short film about the difficulties of being biracial in Hollywood.
But after a few small roles, he changed tack, and name, to became a blockbuster propeller, driving, fighting and quipping his way to franchise superstardom. Then things paused for a few years after some rough choices and while it seemed like he was resigned to cold-calling his pitch for yet more chronicles of Riddick to anyone who would pick up the phone, the rebooted Fast and Furious series thrust him to even greater fame than before.
As he brings the pain to some wart-ridden women in The Last Witch Hunter, we’ve gone back to find his greatest moments.
Boiler Room
While it owed more than its fair share to both Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, Ben Younger’s energetic drama about corruption in a Long Island brokerage firm (inspired by Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort) made its own striking impression, thanks to a host of talented young actors. In particular, it gave Diesel a chance to shine as a fast-talking stockbroker who made for a convincing salesman.
Pitch Black
Diesel’s true breakout role gave him a chance to segue into leading man territory while still retaining some indie cred. The modestly budgeted sci-fi horror cast him as antihero Riddick, who takes time off from being a murderer to kill some rather vicious, night-loving aliens. The sequel, and reboot, might have overestimated our interest in the character but sparingly used, he elevated this to a minor cult classic.
Find Me Guilty
Vin Diesel and Sidney Lumet might not seem like the most obvious pairing but this overlooked fact-based comedy drama was a surprising success, at least to the few who actually saw it. He piled on the weight to play a mobster who defends himself in what became the longest mafia trial in US history and delivered a charming movie-star role, far away from the territory we were used to seeing him in.
Fast Five
But the role he will forever be most associated with is that of Dominic Toretto in the Fast and Furious series. After the first became a surprise hit, the series hit a pothole when Diesel decided not to appear in parts two and three (bar a small cameo), but he returned to the fold and after the fourth did well, it was the fifth that really pushed him and the franchise into a new league. With each instalment breaking new records, there’s plenty more fuel left in this character for Diesel to burn.
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Dieselaissance continued with a key role in Marvel’s most easily likable film to date. The unconventional lineup blessed him with the role of a tree, best friend to Bradley Cooper’s raccoon. Through motion capture and the repetition of just three words, it gave him another multi-million-dollar franchise to add to his CV, helping him to become the world’s third-highest-paid actor as of this year.
