There are actors who shade their amazing talent. There are those who work for the community, whether filmmakers or people who are hurt in one way or another. There are actors whose private life is decidedly more turbulent than their careers. But from time to time - we have - perhaps an erroneous, perhaps marketing-driven, impression that an actor is simply cool. Vin Diesel is the coolest example of this. Here's why.
98 million fans can not be wrong - according to estimates, 1 out of 100 Facebook users like Vin Diesel profile - currently the actor has 98 million fans on it. More than any other actor? How miraculously? After all, there are others, with better films, more thrilling careers or engaged fans. And yet, people from all over the world click "Like it" just at the side of the action cinema actor who is associated only with a few roles. The answer is surprisingly simple, while most of the accounts of the actors are run by marketers or the spece of the public image, Vin runs his account itself. He throws photos, his thoughts, terribly kitschy collages and information for fans. All this is full of good emotions, sense of humor, and some wild amounts of sentimentality. There is a place for the creativity of the fans, own memories from the plan, enthusiasm or a picture with the dog. At the same time, there is not much exhibitionism in this. Diesel has repeatedly said that he is not a fan of revealing all the details of his private life. And he does it perfectly well. On his site he perfectly unites the fans, around his roles, projects and a nice way of being, but you will not find out what he ate for breakfast lunch and dinner. We all need a Hollywood actor to tell us once in a while that we're great.
A boy from commune - an actor grew up in West Village in a very specific building inhabited by artists. The fact that he grew up in such a building should not be surprised - his stepfather was an acting teacher, so Diesel had artistic patterns around him. However, what should arouse our sympathy is the fact that when hurricane Sandy cut off the electric in the building - leaving his older residents without the possibility of storing and preparing meals, the actor made sure that everyone got the food he ordered and that the appropriate help came to them. And somehow it does not surprise anyone. Because it sounds exactly like Vin Diesel would do.
Tigon Studios - we all know that computer games based on movies are hopeless. This is one of the great mysteries of the universe. Regardless of how much money you put into the game on the basis of the movie, even if it is playable it will be very much isolated from what is produced independently (from movies). However, in each discussion games based on movies, one glorious exception is given - a game based on the ”The Chronicles of Riddick”. Of course, it is not surprising since the studio that produced it belongs to Vin Diesel. After all, he would not let the fans down! Interestingly, the studio announced the work on a series of games titled Melkor - fantasy games. The name is not accidental - Melkor is the name of the actor's character in Dungons and Dragons. Seriously, is it possible to better realize your dreams than to do a game where the protagonist will be our character from another game?
Dungeons and Dragons - everybody knows that Vin Diesel loves Dungons and Dragons. But not everyone reads where passion comes from. Meanwhile, it turns out that the first textbook gave him grandma for Christmas. As the actor repeats - this is one of those gifts that changes life forever. Interestingly, Diesel himself perfectly describes the pleasure of the game (in total, we should not be surprised that the actor likes to play roles), he admits that he infected many people with his passion. Among other things, during the filming of Chronicles of Riddick he taught Judi Dench. Now try to imagine a better picture than Vin Diesel and Judi Dench playing together in Dungons and Dragons? True, you can not do it?
Pauline - Vin Diesel has survived the death of his friend and colleague from Paul Walker's Fast and the Furious series. Unlike many film partners, the actors really were friends, and they met privately not only on the set. To commemorate his friend, the actor called his new-born daughter Pauline, causing everyone to cry more or less. Interestingly, promoting his film - ”Last Witch Hunter” Vin Diesel admitted that the fact that his character in the film goes through mourning very well with his private sadness after losing a friend. Well, that's probably not the actor who plays in the best movies (though the whole series about Fast and the Furious is outstanding in its own way), but you can see at once that he puts all his heart into it.
"I'm Groot" - since we are talking about putting the whole heart. The employment of Vin Diesel as Groot's voice in the ”Guardians of The Galaxy” may have seemed like a funny but purely marketing move. I mean, there's one more name on the poster, but apart from the deep voice (which he used so well in the ”The Iron Giant” - one of the best and most underrated animated films that are), you can not bring much to a three-word role. Well, but this is not the first actor who will take a check and get involved. That's why Vin Diesel recorded his role in several languages - especially where he films himself dubbed. And then he appeared at the premiere in such cool shoes that made him taller than the rest of the cast. As it should be.
Body Shaming - once on the web there were pictures on which the usually muscular actor looked like he was put on weight. Of course, joyful magazines and journalists immediately began to write off how the actor has gone horribly wrong and for this he still adopted what is called "dad bod" or figure proper to "daddies". They thought of stupid journalists that they were facing an ordinary actor who would leave it without comment. And they face Vin Diesel. The actor who then promoted his new film has put on Instragram two photos after which there is no doubt that if all guys decided on such a figure, the term "dad Bod" would not be negative. Well, but that's not the point - you know it's always nice when defending himself, the actor will not forget to add another sentence reminding that mocking someone's figure is always bad. Considering how rarely it is mentioned in the context of guys (and women too rarely) the more you need to be happy that Vin did not forget to add and this comment.
Mum knows what's best - many actors admit to the influence of their parents, though rarely for so long. Vin Diesel admits that if it was not for the book he got from his mother in his youth, he would probably never decide not only to play in movies but also to produce them. Anyway, he has recently said that he must take up directing again because his mother keeps telling him that he should direct his latest film. I suspect that many actors talk to their parents about the development of their careers. But it's always nice when one can hear that someone does not hide the fact that even in their forties parents can influence our career.
And yet there is money! - let's be honest, Vin Diesel is not a muscle man who appears on the set of films, he dismisses the work and then disappears. He is one of the few people in Hollywood who can supervise almost all the stages of production in which he performs. He was involved in writing scripts at the time (he studied Creative Writing, and although he never graduated, he was still writing), directing and still producing. However, unlike many actors who are interested in producing side by side with Vin Diesel, you can see that he really cares to be the producer and even the owner of the rights to his best and most popular roles. Among other things, this commitment, but also the appropriate selection of roles meant that Vin Diesel was the # 3 best-earning Hollywood actor.
Do not forget about Cannes! - Clear Vin Diesel is not and will not be an outstanding actor. Anyway, it is known that he does not care. In his (mentioned earlier) numerous appeals to his admirers, he repeatedly emphasizes that he plays in films that are supposed to give a pleasant escape from reality - and I must admit that he is successful (seriously one marathon with Fast and the Furious and a man suddenly wants to start a family, buy car and never worry about anything). At the same time, it is worth remembering that Vin is not a careless wrestling pulled out of wrestling or lifting weights (although by the way it is not a bad acting pedigree at all - many quite agile and intelligent actors have such roots). However, the breakthrough film turned out to be Multi-Facial - short, partially autobiographical film screened as part of the Cannes Festival (the actor was 26 at the time - enough for most of us to feel tragically deprived of life achievements). The film was so good that Steven Spielberg liked it and Vin Diesel got his role in ”Saving Private Ryan”. Quite a good start to your career.
"Mixed race" - Vin Diesel admitted that he does not know his father, so he does not know his exact racial background (or at least not complain about it). We can all say that Vin has definitely been sent here by aliens to set a new quality of the actor's contacts with the fans. In total, who would interfere with this interpretation? Certainly not me.
I know that this post does not have much depth in it, but if you take a closer look at it, it shows us some pitfalls of thinking about actors and their role in shaping the worldview of their fans. Vin Diesel will never get an Oscar (though who knows, many actors of the action movie could surprise us in a more serious role), but maybe many of them - often not looking for nothing but simple entertainment in the cinema - fans realize that the player in RPG is not only a teenager with pimples in a plaid shirt that the "body shaming" phenomenon is always bad and showing emotions - even if you have muscles - is not banned. Such a pattern is not so common in our popular culture. Sure still struggles with stereotypes but ultimately in most Hollywood movies we get a clear division of the fibroid and the brain (perfectly seen in Jurassic Park), Vin gives a chance for people to understand that you can be a nerd with musculature. What really is positive because all the rooted stereotypes that combine character and interest with the look (not with the clothes because here we already have a decision) bring more harm than good. Who knows, maybe that's why these 98 million Facebook users are so keen on "Like it" on the actor's profile. Because as I mentioned, there are actors who play outstanding roles and those who change the face of film art. There are also those whom we simply would like to have in friends. And Vin Diesel fits perfectly into the latter category.