Vin Diesel Praises Johnson’s “Shining” Smashing Machine Performance After Feud Ends

Vin Diesel seems to be hoping he and Dwayne Johnson have resolved their well-known feud, sending positive messages to his former co-star.

Vin Diesel shared a throwback photo on Instagram featuring his co-star from the Fast and Furious films. He wrote a lengthy message praising his colleague’s contributions to the Fast franchise and highlighted a strong performance in the movie The Smashing Machine. This information comes from a post on Vin Diesel’s Instagram account.

Diesel began his message by emphasizing the value of relationships, stating that the most meaningful things in life aren’t material possessions, but the connections we make with others. He shared that he first truly got to know Mark Kerr when he moved to California, and that Kerr even helped him prepare for his role in the 2002 film xXx.

Vin Diesel shared that Kerr was instrumental at the start of his action movie career, describing him as a lifelong friend.

After that, Vin Diesel turned the focus to praising Dwayne Johnson, acknowledging the hard work Johnson puts into maintaining his public image. Diesel explained, “It’s hard for people to realize what it takes to consistently create a positive public perception.” He then recounted how their collaboration started, remembering he once asked fans who he should work with next, and a fan named Jan suggested Dwayne.

Vin Diesel feels this collaboration sparked something remarkable in film, describing it as a powerful partnership where both actors challenged and inspired each other to create a lasting impact. He also praised Dwayne Johnson’s dedication to the role of Hobbs, stating that Johnson fully embraced the character and cemented his place as a memorable figure within the Universal cinematic universe.

Diesel ended his message by praising Dwayne Johnson’s performance in the film The Smashing Machine. He finished with, “Dwayne truly delivered… He took us back in time and excelled while doing so.”

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A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel)

Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel had a well-known feud during the making of the Fast and Furious movies. The conflict became public in August 2016 when Johnson posted a message on Instagram criticizing a male co-star with harsh language, calling him a “chicken s” and “candy a.”

It quickly became clear he was referring to Dwayne Johnson. In a 2021 interview with Men’s Health, Diesel explained the friction stemmed from his attempts to push Johnson to deliver his best performance as Hobbs, acting as a producer giving what he called “tough love.”

At the time, Diesel’s idea was to push Dwayne Johnson beyond his wrestling image. He wanted to challenge the audience to see Johnson in a completely new light and accept him as a different kind of character, using a firm, demanding approach to get the performance he envisioned.

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2025-11-26 14:44