“I Made a Mistake”: Fast X Star Confesses to Vin Diesel That They Never Watched Any Fast & Furious Movies

Fast X star Alain Ritchson has revealed that he had never seen any Fast & Furious movies before joining the franchise, and he admitted this fact to veteran actor Vin Diesel. Ritchson, known for his role as Aimes in Fast X and as Jack Reacher in Prime Video’s Reacher series, shared the story during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. He recalled how he informed Diesel about not having watched any of the previous films, expressing his admiration for Diesel’s work over the past two decades.

Ritchson described Diesel’s reaction as polite but admitted feeling that he shouldn’t have made that statement to someone who had dedicated more than 20 years of their life to the franchise. Reflecting on the encounter, Ritchson emphasized how important the Fast & Furious series is to Diesel, referring to it as his “baby.” Drawing a parallel with his own experience working on the Reacher series, Ritchson acknowledged that if someone had told him they hadn’t watched any of those films, he would have found it perplexing. He self-deprecatingly referred to himself as an “idiot” for his remark to Diesel.

Had Ritchson entered the Fast X project with only his knowledge of the original 2001 film, The Fast and the Furious, he would have been unaware of the franchise’s evolution over time. While the first film focused on a grounded story involving Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner and Diesel’s Dom Toretto, subsequent installments have transformed into extravagant heists and rescue missions. One of the most outlandish moments in the series was Tyrese Gibson’s Roman and Ludacris’ Tej venturing into space in F9.

Furthermore, the Fast & Furious franchise has increasingly emphasized the importance of Dom’s expanding family, highlighting the bonds between his crew members. Although early films like 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift did not revolve around Dom, the series later interwove their storylines with those of his crew, lending more significance to the series as a whole.

Fast X serves as the first of the final entries in the Fast & Furious franchise, implying that there are still plenty of thrilling action sequences to come. Ritchson is likely to reprise his role as Aimes, given the cliffhanger ending of Fast X. While he may not have initially watched any Fast & Furious films, it is evident that Ritchson now has a genuine appreciation for the series, which will continue to be reflected in his future involvement.