Entertainment
28 Vin Diesel Facts That You Probably Did Not Know About
Who knew Vin Diesel was this cool?
If you don’t know who Vin Diesel is, you must have lived on a different planet all your life. But just in case you don’t, look up Fast and the Furious on Google and he’ll definitely turn up. His next films are currently in the works, including the second installment of the movie xXx, a sequel to the hit Guardians of the Galaxy where he dubs for Groot, and Fast 8 which is the eighth part of the largely successful Fast and the Furious series.
But regardless how popular Vin Diesel is, some aspects of his personality remain unknown to the general public. From being a rapper to being a Dungeons and Dragons nerd – we definitely have lots to uncover about this absolutely talented Hollywood star.
So to help quench our curiosity about the awesome Vin Diesel, here are a few tidbits of information about the guy:
1. His real name is Mark Sinclair.
His screen name “Vin” comes from his adoptive father’s last name, “Vincent,” while the “Diesel” originated from the days when he worked as a bouncer. Mark Sinclair wouldn’t have sounded bad as a screen name but hey, we admit that Vin Diesel has much more bang into it.
2. He has a twin.
He has a fraternal twin brother named Paul Vincent (pictured, right) and thet grew up close. Paul even helped him on his first project, “Multi-Facial.”
3. His father was an acting coach.
His adoptive father worked as a theater manager and an acting instructor in the village where he grew up. Now we have an idea where Diesel got his knacks for acting!
4. He broke into a theater and ended up being introduced to acting.
At age 7, he and his friends broke into a theater to vandalize it, only to get caught by the director herself. But instead of calling the police, she made a deal with them and asked if they could take up roles in her play “Dinosaur Door.” Diesel agreed. He seemed to have enjoyed the stage for he remained active as an actor for several years after that.
5. He wrote, directed, and produced his debut film.
His first film entitled “Multifacial,” which was a semi-autobiography film that depicted the struggles of a multi-racial actor, was accepted to the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. In this film, Diesel was the lead actor, director, producer and soundtrack composer and performer. Despite working on a tight budget of $3,000 and shooting for only a few days, the film was a huge success in the independent film world.
6. He has three kids.
Diesel, known to keep his private life off the limelight, has three children with his long-time girlfriend, Paloma Jimenez. They have a daughter named Hania Riley, a son named Vincent Sinclair, and the youngest named Pauline.
7. He was the voice behind the Iron Giant.
His stint as the voice actor for the giant alien robot was one of Diesel’s first roles in the movie industry. Surprisingly, he starred with famous stars like Jennifer Aniston and Harry Connick, Jr. in this animation film.
8. He is a Dungeons and Dragons nerd.
Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing, magic card game that has been popular since the 1970s, and Diesel has been a fan of the game for a long time. He actually based his character from the movie “The Last Witch Hunter” on his favorite D&D character, Melkor.
9. His role for Tokyo Drift was paid for with film rights.
As payment for his cameo role in the movie Tokyo Drift, he got the sole right to play his role in the movie “The Chronicles of Riddick.” Richard B. Riddick, Diesel’s character in the movie, is actually one of his favorites.
10. He self-funded the movie “Riddick.”
After Universal announced that they were done with the Riddick series, Diesel, who believed that he could bring the brand back to life, decided to do a sequel. He bet almost all his fortune on the movie “Riddick”, which he conceptualized with director and screenwriter David Twohy. In fact, he used his house as a collateral. They worked with a relatively small budget of $38 million, and surprisingly, Universal ended up distributing the film. Fortunately, his venture was a success, hitting nearly the $100 million mark in ticket sales, and with a next installment in the works.
11. He has one of the largest followings on social media.
Diesel is one of the most-followed actors on Facebook, with more than 100,000,000 followers in his tail. His page is actually the sixth most liked page on Facebook, just a few milliions behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Shakira.
12. He has no tattoos.
Although we have seen him inked on the big screen, his skin, in reality, remains tattoo-less. He doesn’t seem to dislike tattoos, though. Maybe he likes the feeling of changing tats without much pain and hassle.
13. He has amassed an empire.
Aside from being a famous actor, he now owns a film production company called One Race Films, a record label called Racetrack Records, and a video game development company called Tigon Studios. What is interesting is that all these are his passion projects and not merely money makers. Tigon Studios is actually well-known for creating games that revolve within the world of Riddick, a project close to Diesel’s heart.
14. He used to be a rapper and breakdancer.
Prior to his debut as a professional actor, he tried being a rapper and a breakdancer. Though his rhymes and moves weren’t to die for, we still give him credit for the awesome effort. Some of his rap lyrics include ““Ha ha! Ho ho! Party people! It’s time to get stupid!”
15. He was almost Daredevil.
Diesel was offered the role of Daredevil before Ben Affleck even came to the scene but he turned it down because he wanted to focus on his role as Xander Cage of xXx at the time. We’re sure that this is one decision he did not regret.
16. He was once a bouncer.
At a young age of 17, Diesel was called, well, “Diesel” when we worked as a bouncer at a nightclub in New York City. His friends coined the monicker because they thought he was filled with too much energy.
17. He doesn’t know his exact heritage.
Diesel was not able to meet his biological father but is somehow aware that he has German, Scottish, and English blood running through his veins from his mother’s side.
18. His mom inspired him to start producing his own movies.
Initially, Diesel was unsuccessful in landing a break in both acting and screenwriting so he returned to New York feeling dejected. His mom then gave him a book entitled “Feature Films At Used Car Prices” which encouraged him to begin producing his own films.
19. He used to work as a telemarketer.
He was pretty good at this job and his deep voice added to his charm as a telemarketer. In a span of 18 months, he earned approximately $40,000 – which he used to fund the film “Strays.”
20. He has been in hundreds of fights.
In his almost ten-year stint as a bouncer, he was a part of a fight every night. He said he had been in over 500 fights and they weren’t pretty.
21. His muscles cost him work.
Diesel’s sister recounted that in the early days of his career, people told him that he must lose his bulky muscles because they are really distracting.
22. He can cook turkey pasta.
During filming for the “Strays” in 19997, he was so enthusiastic about the film and ecstatic at end of his casting rejection that he cooked pots and pots of turkey pasta for all the cast and crew.
23. He gave Spielberg advice on scriptwriting.
While filming “Saving Private Ryan,” Diesel was audacious enough to give Spielberg suggestions on how to improve the war film, disregarding the possibility of him getting on the legendary director’s nerves.
24. He’s a gentleman.
He backed up Fast and the Furious co-star Michelle Rodriguez when she declined to bed-hop with Paul Walker’s character in the original film script. Rodriguez refused to do the scene saying that it might stereotype Latina characters into promiscuous women.
25. He’s not afraid to get fat.
Diesel packed pounds for his role Fat Jackie in the 2006 film “Find Me Guilty.” It was just saddening, however, that the movie didn’t turn out to be a hit.
26. He turned down $25 million because the story sucked.
He was offered to star in a Fast and the Furious sequel for $25 million but he refused because he did not like the storyline. Instead, he chose to star in “The Chronicles of Riddick” which earned him a meager $50,000 in return.
27. He’s in love with the Dominican Republic.
We’re not really sure why but maybe it’s the multiculturalism of the place that drew him in. He actually became friends with the country’s former president, Leonel Fernandez.
28. He’s related to “Kwame,” a rapper from the 80s.
He must’ve gotten his drive to enter the rapping scene from his cousin Kwame, also known as “the Boy Genius,” who was a pretty famous rapper back then. He even starred in some of Kwame’s music videos!