The Original ‘Fast and Furious’ Cast Then and Now
Plus, find out which star almost dropped out of the first movie.
The Fast and Furious cast is now part of a thrilling multi-movie franchise focused on street racing, heists, spies and family. But it all began in 2001, when the first movie debuted and the Fast and Furious franchise became so successful it went on to include a series of toys, video games and even theme park attractions.
Twenty-three years after the original movie and the franchise is still going strong. The most recent film is Fast X, which came out in 2023. Don’t worry, the Fast and Furious cast is not slowing down—there’s talks of another installment in the not-so-distant future.
We took a look at the Fast and Furious cast and what they are up to now.
Vin Diesel as Dom Fast and Furious cast
Born July 18, 1967, in Alameda County, California, Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair. He starred as Dominic Toretto, the charismatic leader of the street racing crew.
Before taking on the lead of the Fast and Furious cast in 2001, Diesel appeared in Saving Private Ryan (1998) and The Iron Giant (1999). He then starred in Pitch Black (2000), where he played the movie’s anti-hero, Riddick. Then he got his career-defining role in the Fast and the Furious cast. He then appeared in XXX (2002), A Man Apart (2003) and The Chronicles of Riddick film series, which he also produced. Diesel is also known for the voice of Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
While he has been in many movies, it’s his role in the Fast and Furious films that made him famous. But ironically, Diesel told EW he almost dropped out of the first movie, saying, “The script is not what I thought it would be.” Fortunately, screenwriter David Ayer collaborated with Diesel on a rewrite, and together they made his character and the script more complex.
Diesel says his biggest accomplishment is not acting, but being a dad. He told People, “My pride in my kids is through the roof. Oh my God, I’m proud of them all the time.” He is father to daughters, Similce and Pauline and son Vincent.
Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner
Born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California, Paul Walker played Brian O’Conner, an undercover cop who infiltrates the street racing scene.
Before his breakthrough role as undercover-cop-turned-street-racer Brian O’Conner, Walker got his start on the soap The Young and the Restless, followed by supporting parts in the teen movies Varsity Blues and She’s All That.
Once he was cast in the 2001 original Fast and Furious cast, he quickly got hooked and appeared in its many sequels. In addition to Fast and Furious films, he also appeared in other movies including Timeline (2003), Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers and the sled dog drama Eight Below (2006).
Tragically, Walker’s life was cut short when he died in a car crash in 2013. He was only 40. They wrote his departure into the script in the end of Furious 7 (2015) in a scene where Dom and Brian drive together down a coastal highway before splitting off onto different roads. For those shots, Walker’s brother Caleb stood in as a body double and Paul’s face was added with CGI.
Diesel told ET that Walkers death really affected him and that it was like losing a brother. “We’ve felt the loss, but filming XXX: The Return of Xander Cage became part of the healing process. Never in my life did I need to do a movie where I could laugh and smile and enjoy myself more than the time I made this movie.”
Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Fast and Furious cast
Born on July 12, 1978, in San Antonio, Texas, Michelle Rodriguez played the character Letty Ortiz, Dominic’s tough and loyal love interest.
Prior to the Fast and Furious cast, Rodriguez appeared in Girlfight (2000). The following year she was cast in Fast and had a long and lustrous career with the franchise. She also played roles in other movies including S.W.A.T., Resident Evil, Avatar, Battle: Los Angeles, Machete and Widows. She also appeared in the popular series Lost, as Ana Lucia Cortez, an ex-cop with rage issues.
More recently Rodriguez appeared in the indie horror movie She Dies Tomorrow (2020), and she played opposite Chris Pine in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023).
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Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto
Born April 26, 1980, in Panama City, Panama, Jordana Brewster played the role of Mia Toretto
Dominic’s sister and love interest of Brian O’Conner.
Brewster moved around a lot as a child and lived in London, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City. It was in the latter that she attended theater school and got her start in soap operas before landing her first lead part in the sci-fi horror flick The Faculty (1998). But it was her role as Dom’s sister, Mia Toretto, that made her a star.
After The Fast and Furious, Brewster starred in a string of movies like D.E.B.S. (2004), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), and Annapolis (2006). She also had a recurring role on TNT’s Dallas reboot and the TV version of Lethal Weapon on Fox.
Chad Lindberg as Jesse Fast and Furious cast
Before Chad Lindberg played the role of Jesse, the anti-establishment computer wiz of Dom’s crew, he appeared in the movie October Sky (1999). He also had appearances in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Law & Order.
In addition to appearing in the Fast and Furious cast, Lindberg was a regular on the TV show Supernatural, from 2005-2010. He also appeared in the movie I Spit on Your Grave (2010). He played a paranormal investigator on Ghost Adventures in 2012 and he hosted the miniseries Ghost Stalkers in 2014. Most recently he was in 2023’s Star Trek: Picard.
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Johnny Strong as Leon
It’s not shocking that Johnny Strong played the convincing role of Leon, a trained martial artist and member of Dom’s racing crew, since Strong studied judo, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing and Jeet Kune Do.
In addition to the Fast and Furious cast, Strong appeared in Get Carter (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Sinners and Saints (2010). In addition to acting, Strong also started the post-grunge rock band Operator, and he’s recorded seven albums.
Matt Schulze as Vince Fast and Furious cast
In the Fast and Furious cast, Matt Schulze plays Dom’s childhood friend Vince. Schulze was a musician and model before turning to acting.
In addition to the Fast franchise, Schulze appeared in Blade (1998), Blade II (2002), The Transporter (2002), and Torque (2004). In 2008, he wrote, directed, and starred in the spy thriller The Acquirer (2008). Most recently he was in the Johnny Knoxville movie Action Point (2018).
Rick Yune as Johnny Tran
Rick Yune played the Vietnamese gang leader Johnny Tran in the Fast and Furious cast. Yune who is Korean American, appeared in several movies including Die Another Day (2002) where he played Zao, a North Korean terrorist with piercing blue eyes and a face that is embedded with diamonds. He also appeared in The Fifth Commandment (2008), Ninja Assassin (2009), Marco Polo (2014-2016), The Man With the Iron Fists (2012) and Olympus Has Fallen (2013).
Most recently, Yune was in Alita: Battle Angel (2019). Ironically, Michelle Rodríguez also appeared in the movie making the film a mini-Furious reunion.
Ted Levine as Sgt. Tanner Fast and Furious cast
Prior to playing Brian O’Conner’s boss, Sgt. Tanner, in the Fast and Furious cast, Ted Levine played serial killer Jame Gumb, a.k.a. Buffalo Bill, in the multi-Oscar winner The Silence of the Lambs (1991). He also played the mustachioed police captain Leland Stottlemeyer on the acclaimed series Monk and as the NYPD Commissioner Thomas Byrnes on TNT’s The Alienist. He’s also appeared in several films including Shutter Island (2010) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
Thom Barry as Agent Bilkins
One of Thom Barry’s earliest films was playing Michael Jordan’s dad in Space Jam (1996). Then he got his role as FBI Agent Bilkins in the Fast franchise. He then took on the long-running recognizable role as Inspector Will Jeffries on the CBS police procedural Cold Case from 2003-2010. He also played Sheriff Hooper in Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013).
Noel Gugliemi as Hector Fast and Furious cast
Noel Gugliemi played Hector on the Fast franchise, but before that he appeared in Training Day (2001) with Denzel Washington. He appeared in several other movies including Street Kings (2008) with Keanu Reeves, and Dragged Across Concrete (2018) with Mel Gibson. He’s also been on TV series including Mayans M.C. and the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat.
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