Whether you’re a die-hard Fast and Furious fan or not, you cannot deny the quality of the action films in the series for the past two decades.
The chemistry between the actors and characters make the series compelling to watch, and the series has starred a great number of actors over the years.
But the cast from The Fast and the Furious will always remain the original.
After 20 years just how far have they come since the first breakout movie?
While some have gone on to have breakthrough successes in Hollywood since the release of the first film, there have also been tragedy for the cast with the death of star Paul Walker.
Now with the ninth movie in the series hitting screens, we take a look back at the original cast members to see where they are now.
Vin Diesel – Dom Toretto
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Vin Diesel played Dom Toretto, the star of the film who was out to avenge the death of his girlfriend, Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty Ortiz.
Since making his debut as Dom Toretto, Vin Diesel’s career has skyrocketed, with the role putting him on the map.
He has gone on to star in a number of blockbuster films, most notably by playing Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and appearing in three of the four xXx movies.
The star also welcomed three children with his longtime girlfriend Paloma Jiménez: daughter Hania in 2008, son Vincent in 2010 and daughter Pauline — whom they named after Vin’s late Fast & Furious franchise co-star and friend Paul Walker — in 2015.
Paul Walker – Brian O’Connor
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Paul Walker played dreamy FBI agent Brian O’Connor who was undercover investigating Dom and his team and who fell for Dom’s sister Mia.
He stuck around as a main cast member for five of the next six films, but tragically died in a car accident in the middle of filming Furious 7 at the age of 40 back in 2013.
His lookalike brothers filled in for him in scenes in order to finish the film.
The seventh film along with its main soundtrack song See You Again, by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, was dedicated to his memory.
Michelle Rodrigues – Letty Ortiz
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Michelle Rodrigues played Letty Ortiz in the first film, the seemingly dead girlfriend of Dom setting off a spiral of events as he worked to avenge her death.
However she was revealed to have survived a major accident in Fast and Furious 6 and from then on has starred in the following movies.
After the first film Michelle enjoyed major roles in Lost, the Resident Evil franchise, Avatar and more.
She’s set to star in 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons film alongside Chris Pine and Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page.
In 2014, Michelle made headlines for romancing Cara Delevingne and Zac Efron within just a few months of each other.
Jordana Brewster – Mia Toretto
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Jordana Brewster has starred in almost all of the Fast and Furious films including the original.
She plays Dom’s little sister Mia and Brian’s love interest in the film.
Since her debut as Mia, Jordana has appeared in films like Annapolis, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and American Heist and TV shows like the Dallas reboot, Secrets and Lies and Lethal Weapon.
In 2007, she married producer Andrew Form, and they welcomed two sons via surrogate: Julian in 2013 and Rowan in 2016.
Following their 2020 split, Jordana has been in a relationship with tech CEO Mason Morfit.
Rick Yune – Johnny Tran
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Rick Yune plays Johnny Tran in the first Fast and Furious film, the leader of a Vietnamese gang and Dom’s hated rival.
Rick did not appear in any of the subsequent Fast and Furious films.
However he has gone on to land more action roles, most notable appearing in the James Bond film Die Another Day, as well as Ninja Assassin and Olympus Has Fallen.
Matt Schulze – Vince
(Image: Universal Pictures)
Matt Schulze starred as Vince, one of the founding crew members in the first Fast and Furious film.
He went on to star in the fifth film also, Fast Five, after being missing from the previous three.
Just a year after his breakout role in The Fast and The Furious, Matt starred in The Transporter alongside fellow future Fast and Furious cast member Jason Statham.
He is also known for his work in Blade and Blade II.
Ja Rule – Edwin
(Image: Universal Pictures)
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Rapper Ja Rule, real name Jeffrey Atkins, appeared in the first ever film of the Fast and Furious series as Edwin, a fellow driver at the drag race who races Dom and Brian.
While he only played a minor character, he made a big impact in the film, but he didn’t reprise his role for any of the longstanding franchise’s sequels.
He continues to work as a rapper and performer and, as of 2018, has sold 14.4million units in the USA and has sold over 30m records worldwide.
Ja Rule was also an investor in the infamous Fyre Festival disaster in 2017 which saw him face a $100m class action lawsuit, though he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in 2019.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
