NEED TO KNOW
Timothy Olyphant does not mind that he once turned down Vin Diesel’s role in the original The Fast and the Furious.
When the star, 57, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter for an interview about his role in FX’s new series Alien: Earth, Olyphant was asked how he feels when he sees the money Diesel’s Fast & Furious movies make at the box office.
“The pitfall here is that it’s very hard to answer that question without feeling like I’m offending somebody,” said Olyphant, who famously turned down an opportunity to portray Dominic Toretto in the 2001 original.
“So, if I start saying, ‘No, it’s never occurred to me,’ or ‘No, I’ve never seen those movies,’ it just starts to sound like … ugh, let’s say I didn’t ever say that. I love those movies. I’m thrilled that they worked for everybody involved.”
When THR noted that it’s possible Olyphant has potentially not seen some of his own movies, the actor said, “That’s true. So, no, I’ve never had a moment. I love attention as much as the next guy in the Screen Actors Guild. Hell, I’m talking to you right now.”
“But mostly — and let me stress mostly — I’ve thought to myself, ‘Thank God I am not any more famous than I am,’ ” Olyphant added. “I just think it would be bad for everybody involved.”
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
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As Entertainment Weekly noted back in 2022, Fast and Furious series producer Neal H. Moritz once said that Universal Pictures originally promised to produce the original movie if Olyphant would agree to star.
Olyphant passed on the part, leading Moritz to Diesel, who was best known for supporting roles in movies like Saving Private Ryan prior to stepping behind the wheel to portray street racer Toretto.
The franchise has evolved from a grounded story about street racing and crime in Los Angeles to an explosive, action-packed franchise that has produced 10 entries. Olyphant, best known for his work on the series Justified and as a character actor in dozens of films and shows, does not seem to mind missing out on a major blockbuster franchise.
Universal Pictures
“I don’t have famous-people problems, and yet I get to work with you name them,” Olyphant told THR, when asked what he enjoys about his level of fame.
“It’s a sweet spot, and I may finally be ruining it with these next couple gigs. But at this point in my life? F— it,” he said.
Olyphant’s Alien: Earth, which he costars in with Sydney Chandler, premieres Aug. 12 on Hulu.
