Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead Spotted Together for the First Time

Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead spent time at his home over the Fourth of July weekend along with his son, marking the first time the new couple has been spotted together.

Watch: Renee Zellweger and Ant Antstead Are Reportedly Dating

Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead have made their unofficial public debut as a couple.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, the 52-year-old Oscar-winning actress and the 42-year-old British TV personality spent time together at his new oceanfront home in Laguna Beach, Calif. home. The two were joined by his boy Hudson London Anstead, the 20-month-old son he shares with ex-wife and Flip or Flop star Christina Haack.

On Friday, July 2, Renée and Ant were photographed alone on his balcony, which overlooks a public street and the sea. It marked the first time the two have been spotted together since it was reported last month that the two had begun dating after meeting while filming an episode of the new Discovery+ show Celebrity IOU: Joyride.

On the balcony, the couple dressed casually, with the actress wearing her hair in a loose ponytail, holding a mug bearing the words, “Home Is Where Dad Is.”

On Sunday, July 4, Renée and Ant were photographed walking together in Laguna Beach, this time with his son, who he carried. The actress wore a purple top and orange baseball cap for their outing.

photos

They Dated? Surprising Star Couples

Neither she nor Ant have commented on their relationship status. News about the new couple dating came soon after Ant and Christina finalized their divorce.

SplashNews.com

Trending Stories

1

Exclusive

Who’s Really In the Running to Become Jeopardy!‘s New Host

2

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Take Their Love to the Hamptons

3

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar Address Counting On Cancellation

The HGTV star announced their split in September 2020, soon after Hudson turned 1. Christina, who also shares two children with ex-husband and Flip or Flop co-star Tarek El Moussa, and filed papers to end her and Ant’s almost 2-year marriage two months later. 

“There’s a choice that we all make,” Ant told E! News this past March about the divorce. “You either dwell in it or you look forward and I’m a forward-facing, positive person. I’ve got so many great things on the horizon…It’s been six or seven months so I’ve really had a chance to reset, rethink, rebuild and now I’m so ready to find a house and start fresh.”

He continued, “I’ve used my faith as a good way to realize I’m so incredibly blessed. Hudson is such a blessing and he’s really changed my outlook on everything because ultimately, people move on and you find your happiness and I’ve used faith to do that quicker.”

Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor Show Sweet PDA at Wimbledon, Their First Public Event

Pete Davidson and Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor were photographed looking cozier than ever while watching a Wimbledon match, which marked their first public event together.

Watch: Everything Pete Davidson & Phoebe Dynevor Have in Common

Dearest readers, Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor have taken their romance to Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old Saturday Night Live comedian and 26-year-old Bridgerton actress, who stepped out as a couple in April followings months of dating rumors, were spotted showing PDA while attending the tennis championships in England on her native England on Saturday, July 3 . It marked the first time the pair has been spotted together at a public event, which have been far and between amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Phoebe was photographed hugging Pete and also put her head on his shoulder as he kissed her forehead while they watched tennis star’s Roger Federer‘s match against U.K. player Cameron Norrie on day six of the tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. He also kept his hand on her leg for a while at they sat in the Lanson suite next to British comedian Jack Whitehall. 

photos

15 Bridgerton Secrets and Easter Eggs

Pete is visiting Phoebe in London as she films the upcoming second season of Bridgerton. He also visited her in late April 22, and the two were photographed together for the first time, hugging and walking together on a grassy knoll in the English countryside.

A source close to Pete later told E! News that the star is “very into Phoebe” and flies back and forth from NYC to the U.K. “any chance he gets.”

The insider explains, “He doesn’t mind, because he’s very excited about spending time with her. She’s getting to know him and loving this attention.” 

See photos of them at Wimbledon:

Old Boy’s Club / BACKGRID

They’re Here

Pete and Phoebe arrive at Wimbledon.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Finding Their Seat

The stars walk down the stands to the Lanson suite.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Awww

Phoebe lays her head on Pete’s shoulder as he kisses her forehead.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

All Smiles

The two smile amid their PDA.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Look of Adoration

Pete can’t take his eyes off Phoebe.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Touching Moment

It’s a hands-on kind of relationship.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

All Hugs

Phoebe and Pete enjoy another cute moment together.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas Photographed Publicly For the First Time in Almost 8 Years

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was spotted in Los Angeles while walking his dogs, six years after the '90s heartthrob last appeared on a TV show.

He’s our childhood crush, all grown up! It’s been eight long years, but Jonathan Taylor Thomas has finally resurfaced. 

The 39-year-old former child star was recently spotted publicly for the first time since 2013, though he last appeared onscreen in Last Man Standing in 2015. 

On Sunday, June 20, Jonathan and his two small white dogs were photographed in Los Angeles on a casual walk. He wore Nike sneakers, loose jeans and a zipped up dark hoodie, along with sunglasses, a New York Mets baseball cap and a black mask that was worn around his chin.

An eyewitness described him as “relaxed looking” while he smoked a vape on the street. 

The last time fans got a glimpse of the 8 Simple Rules alum out and about was in August 2013, when he was photographed in L.A. in a flannel and tan jacket. 

Jonathan, who first appeared onscreen at age 7 in The Adventures of Spot, went on to voice Young Simba in The Lion King before landing the role of Randy Taylor in Home Improvement, which he starred in from 1991 to 1999 alongside Tim Allen.

photos

Child Stars Then and Now

He reunited with Tim for Last Man Standing, playing John Baker in 2013 and 2014, before appearing as Randy in the 2015 “Helen Potts” episode that also starred Home Improvement‘s Patricia Richardson. Jonathan even dabbled in directing by helming three episodes of the comedy from 2013 to 2016.

He’s basically been off the grid since then, but Deadline reported last year that he will soon executive produce a TV series based on David Henry Sterry‘s memoir Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates & Chippendales about his time with the male strip troupe.

Coleman-Rayner

Jonathan graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory School a year after leaving Home Improvement, and then enrolled at Harvard University, St. Andrews University in Scotland and Columbia University.

In 2013, the Veronica Mars guest star told People why he stepped out of the spotlight for a bit. “I’d been going nonstop since I was 8 years old… I wanted to go to school, to travel and have a bit of a break,” he shared. “To sit in a big library amongst books and students, that was pretty cool… It was a novel experience for me.”

During the interview, he said his interests included watching “a lot” of movies.  

In retrospect, he said his career in Hollywood was a “great period in my life,” noting, “But it doesn’t define me. When I think back on the time, I look at it with a wink. I focus on the good moments I had, not that I was on a lot of magazine covers.”

Camila Cabello Is the Sassiest Cinderella Yet in Amazon Prime’s First Movie Teaser

The first teaser for Cinderella is here, giving us a glimpse at the hilarious chemistry between star Camila Cabello and her Fairy Godmother, Billy Porter.

Watch: Camila Cabello on BF Shawn Mendes: “We Collaborate in Life”

Camila Cabello is one smart-alecky Cinderella! 

Amazon just dropped the official teaser for Prime Video’s Cinderella, out Sept. 3, and it’s clear the “Señorita” singer is putting her own spin on the classic rags-to-riches story. 

The clip starts with the future princess opening her own fashion shop, Dresses by Ella, as she turns her seamstress dreams into a reality. “This is it,” she says. “Soon, everyone will know my name… Life outside this basement starts right now.” (Fittingly, her sewing machine is emblazoned with the “Singer” company logo).

Viewers get a taste of what’s to come for her when a montage of scenes show her evil stepmother (Idina Menzel) basking in the sun and partygoers dancing at the magnificent ball. 

“I’m gonna be there / I want it / You’re gonna know my name,” Camila sings.

But her version of Cinderella isn’t just an ambitious entrepreneur. She’s also super spunky, which is obvious when she winks at herself and holds up gun fingers while checking out herself in a mirror. 

photos

Looking Back on Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s Year of Viral Moments

Later in the film, her Fairy Godmother (Billy Porter) appears in a blinged-out golden ensemble, presumably to give her the ultimate makeover. The Pose actor asks, “You wanna go to that ball?” 

Camila sassily responds, “Yes, I was just crying and singing about it, like, two minutes ago.” 

Trending Stories

1

Influencer Sparks Backlash for Getting Surgery to Resemble BTS’ Jimin

2

Rob Kardashian Shares Photo of Daughter Dream Dressed as Wonder Woman

3

Try to Recognize Kim & Kourtney Kardashian in “Disguise” as Kids

Cinderella also stars Nicholas Galitzine as the Prince, Minnie Driver as the Queen and James Corden as a footman. The movie musical is written and directed by Pitch Perfect mastermind Kay Cannon, who promised that a full trailer is coming soon.

Camila gave her own preview on Twitter, writing, “this was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I can’t wait for you to see it.” 

Idina praised the Fifth Harmony alum in another post. “You have to see this!” she tweeted of the movie. “@Camila_Cabello is an absolute star and @theebillyporter the most beautiful fab g. Music rocks. It’s joyous and funny and the stepmother isn’t too bad either.”

Ryan Reynolds Is Now on TikTok and His First Video Will Delight Just Friends Fans

Ryan Reynolds has officially joined TikTok and for fans of his rom-com, Just Friends, the actor shared a treat in honor of the 2005 movie. See the hilarious clip below.

Watch: Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively in “Green Lantern”: E! News Rewind

It’s official: Ryan Reynolds has joined TikTok.
 
And in celebration of the momentous occasion, the Deadpool actor posted a comical clip of himself lip-syncing along to “I Swear” by R&B group All-4-One, which is a nod to his character, Chris Brander, doing the same in the mirror in the 2005 romantic comedy, Just Friends.
 
The actor, whose name on the platform is @vancityreynolds, hilariously captioned the post, “I swear you will be disappointed by this account.”
 
We’re sure fans are the opposite of disappointed by the father of three’s decision to join the platform, seeing as he uses his other social media accounts, particularly Instagram, to showcase his incredible sense of humor, especially when it comes trolling his wife, Blake Lively.
 
Although Ryan joining TikTok is celebratory all on its own, his decision seems like it wasn’t only for the thrill of belting out throwback-ballads for adoring fans.

photos

Every Time Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Have Trolled Each Other

According to Adweek, the social media platform is reportedly sponsoring the Wrexham A.F.C. Wales soccer team, which is a team that he and actor Rob McElhenney recently joined together to buy.

Trending Stories

1

Influencer Sparks Backlash for Getting Surgery to Resemble BTS’ Jimin

2

Rob Kardashian Shares Photo of Daughter Dream Dressed as Wonder Woman

3

Phylicia Rashad and More Stars React to Bill Cosby’s Prison Release

In fact, the Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard star has already shared a couple of other videos hinting at the duo’s partnership, including one with Rob rapping, “Tik Tok, you don’t stop,” which then cuts to Ryan saying, “Nope.” Ryan jokingly captioned that particular post, “There will be no duets.”
 
In another clip, the 44-year-old star also shared an image of his shirtless Deadpool character getting covered up by a Wrexham soccer jersey.
 
Although the reason for the actor’s appearance on the platform may lean more on the business side, fans will undoubtedly be happy to see him bring even more laughs to TikTok.
 
 
 

Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne Reveal the Sex of Their First Baby

Two months after announcing they are expecting their first child together, Ronda Rousey and husband Travis Browne shared a video revealing the sex of their baby.

Watch: Ronda Rousey Is Pregnant!

It’s a girl!
 
Former UFC star Ronda Rousey and WWE star Travis Browne made the sweet announcement on June 29 in a YouTube video shared to Ronda’s channel. “Our gender reveal is finally here,” she began the clip. “We didn’t wanna do anything that would set hundreds of acres ablaze or thousands even. Some people are idiots.”
 
Noting that they wanted to keep it “simple, safe and Browsey Acres style” (which is the name of the couple’s residence), the pair opted to show an egg hatching, which then led to a precious shot of their sonogram, and the words, “It’s a girl!” The short video—for which the reveal had a reference to Pokemon—also had a few funny bloopers added towards the end. 

Now, it seems like the happy couple will soon find themselves wrestling with the adjustment of the arrival of their baby girl! The proud parents-to-be previously confirmed their daughter’s due date is September 22 of this year.

 

photos

2021 Celebrity Babies

The couple, who have been married since 2017, first announced they were expecting back in April by sharing another cute video. “I’ve been pregnant since January,” the 34-year-old star said, after removing a pillow from her stomach to reveal her baby bump in her original announcement. “So, four months. Woo, baby bump! I can’t hide it anymore. So, it’s time to show it off.”

Trending Stories

1

Try to Recognize Kim & Kourtney Kardashian in “Disguise” as Kids

2

Erica Mena and Safaree Welcome Baby No. 2 Amid Divorce

3

Exclusive

Why Khloe Kardashian & Tristan Thompson’s Split Is “Heartbreaking”

“And I just wanted to share with you guys a little bit of the journey we’ve been on,” she continued. “And there’s definitely much more to the story that we’ll be telling later.”

This will be Ronda’s first child and Travis’ third. The professional wrestler has two children, Kaleo and Keawe from a previous marriage. 

Check out their adorable reveal for yourself in the video above!

Inside Chris Lane's "Unpredictable" First Weeks of Parenthood With Lauren Bushnell

In an exclusive interview with E! News, country singer Chris Lane shared a glimpse into his new reality as a father to baby Dutton. Find out his big, big plans for his son and wife Lauren Bushnell.

Watch: Newlyweds Lauren Bushnell & Chris Lane Reveal Wedding Secrets

Chris Lane has some “Big, Big Plans” for a very special year.

After the coronavirus pandemic put a halt on touring, the country singer is heading back on the road this fall for his “Fill Them Boots” tour with Tyler Rich. And though he continues to release new music including the personal track “Ain’t Even Met You Yet,” Chris is honed in on his greatest job at all.

Oh yes, Chris is officially a father after welcoming a baby boy with wife Lauren Lane (formerly Bushnell) earlier this month.

“It’s been a little exhausting, but it’s been the most incredible thing and we’re both so blessed and happy,” Chris shared in an exclusive interview with E! News. “It’s been so unpredictable. I’ve heard so many people say, ‘You just get ready. You better hold on tight’ and I expected to be exhausted and to not get nearly the amount of sleep that I’m used to, but I think that’s probably been the hardest part.”

While baby Dutton loves to sleep when the sun is shining, nighttime is a different story. But if you ask Chris, the 3 a.m. house parties are totally worth it.

photos

Country Music Dads’ Cutest Fatherhood Moments

“It’s been truly the biggest blessing to both of our lives,” he gushed. “Dutton is the sweetest little man and we are incredibly happy and just can’t wait to watch him grow up. I feel like we’re gonna blink and he’s going to be headed to college. We’re holding on tight over here.”

Instagram

Since the June 8 arrival of their first child, Chris and Lauren have adjusted their date nights to be much simpler. When their son falls asleep in the evening, mom and dad eat dinner together and watch some TV.

And they continue to field well-wishes from family and fans, including professional PGA player Jessica Korda, who gifted baby Dutton an Augusta National onesie.

Mostly, though, they feel excited to be teeing off into this new journey and grateful for their faith for giving them the opportunity to be parents.

Trending Stories

1

Jared Padalecki “Gutted” to Not Be Part of Supernatural Spinoff

2

Renée Zellweger, Ant Anstead & More Unlikely Celebrity Couples

3

Channing Tatum Shares First Photo of Daughter Everly’s Face

photos

Musicians Performing Live on Stage

“Lauren and I are huge believers, we always have been and I will definitely instill that into our little Dutton over here that is for sure,” Chris reflected. “I really appreciate the fact that my parents did that for me and I know Lauren certainly appreciate her parents kind of passing that along to her so we’ll both do the same for him.”

Randy Shaffer

Perhaps the cherry on top to Chris’ life today is the return of live music. This week, the country singer partnered up with Drinkworks for the launch of their PRESS. PLAY. SWEEPSTAKES.  

“Fans will be able to enter to win a summer block party from Drinkworks and be able to catch up with friends and family over some good music and some good drinks,” he shared. “This is what summer is all about.”

And after raising a glass to a new season (in every sense of the word), Chris hopes fans will keep the party going at his tour this fall. “I feel like I have a great show planned from top to bottom with every artist that is part of it and I feel like my strongest point as an artist is putting on a live, high-energy fun show that kids to adults can enjoy,” he promised. “I can’t wait for them to see the show.”

These 20 Secrets About The Fast and the Furious Will Take You That First Quarter Mile

For the original 2001 film's 20th anniversary and just in time for the premiere of F9, we looked under the hood of The Fast and the Furious to find out what made it go vroom.

Zumapress; Shutterstock; iStock/E! Illustration

Twenty years ago, a simple movie about an undercover cop trying to take down a band of illegal-street-car-racing thieves eased into theaters.

It zoomed away with more than $207 million.

The Fast and the Furious, made for the relatively low sticker price of $38 million, was the sleeper hit of the summer of 2001, an action romp that automatically appealed to gearheads but ended up offering something for everyone and spawning a $6 billion-and-counting franchise, with F9: The Fast Saga finally opening June 25.

Anchored by the core quartet of Paul Walker as LAPD detective Brian O’Conner; Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, the outlaw leader who lives life a quarter mile at a time; Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, Dom’s ride or die; and Jordana Brewster as Mia, Dom’s sister and Brian’s crush, TFATF is both a heist flick and a love story—largely between dudes and their cars, but also about the fierce bond among loyal friends. And, sometimes, there is actual romance.   

photos

The Fast & Furious Cast Through the Years

While the series has become increasingly more stunt-driven, the stars now Marvel-esque in their feats of automotive derring-do while flow charts are helpful for keeping the growing cast of characters, locations and plot points straight (not to mention the timeline of the action, which is all over the map), it started with the simple premise of the original: Ambitious cop meets career outlaw with a conscience, conflict ensues and trust hangs in the balance, but at the end of the day it’s all about family.

And there’s always time for an argument over whose engine is bigger. 

Slick yet old-fashioned, exhilarating and delectably corny in all the right places, The Fast and the Furious may have been unassuming as far as foundations for a franchise go, but it set the table for everything to come. 

So in honor of the blockbuster’s 20th anniversary and just in time for the release of the latest model, we checked under the hood of the classic ride and found out what made it go vroom:

Universal Pictures

1. The film was inspired by the 1998 Vibe article “Racer X,” by Kenneth Li, about illegal street racing in New York. Universal executive Kevin Misher happened to read it and showed it to Rob Cohen, the director recalled to Reach Further in 2018.

“As a guy with a degree in anthropology, any time I see a tribal, secret world, my ears perk up because that’s where some very interesting stuff can be illuminated for movies,” Cohen said. “I found this young guy—[former racer and all-around auto expert] R.J. de Vera—who, for various reasons, was open to taking me out. That night, with the police coming and everybody gathering, became Paul Walker‘s first night in the street-racing scene in The Fast and the Furious.” 

Universal Pictures

2. De Vera served as a technical advisor on the film and played driver Danny in the big drag race sequence, Brian O’Conner’s introduction to that fast, furious world.

 

Toni Anne Barson Archive/WireImage

3. Cohen had previously directed Walker in the Ivy League secret society thriller The Skulls, during which producer Neal Moritz had asked the actor what he wanted to do next. “To be honest with you, I always liked the idea of playing a cop,” Walker recalled telling him in a 2001 interview with E! News. “Within three months he came to me with this idea,” saying, “‘Look, this is it. We want to do something about modern-day drag-racing, and we think it would be great if you would play an undercover cop. You get to race cars and you get to make out with Jordana Brewster.'”

He was ready to sign on before they even had a script, Walker said, though his team cautioned him that perhaps that wasn’t the best idea. “My mind was telling me ‘don’t’ but my heart was telling me ‘go for it,’ and I’m glad I did,” he said with a smile.

Asked if it was as much fun to make as he expected it to be, he replied, “Probably more so.”

Moviestore/Shutterstock

4. Vin Diesel‘s Pitch Black was about to be released by what is now Universal’s Focus Features, and the film caught Moritz’s eye, leading to the beefy New Yorker being offered the part of Dominic Toretto.

On Entertainment Weekly‘s Binge series in April, Diesel recalled being instantly sold on the character—”tough guy, outlaw, with a heart and a code”—and the film when they described the now-iconic tracking shot that starts with Dom’s arm as he shifts into gear before zipping into the core of his engine and out through the back of the car as he he takes off in the first race. That thrilled him, but the script, when he first read it… not so much.

It was “not what I thought it would be,” he admitted. So, they asked him to meet with newly hired screenwriter David Ayer and they did a “page-by-page critique-slash-rewrite” of the existing material.

Calling the Suicide Squad director’s first draft “very poetic and, as typical, gritty and dark,” Cohen told Reach Further, “Another draft or two, and then it started to find its form, which is a combination of David Ayer’s street poetry and my action bent and love of cars, mechanics, and garages—things that I grew up doing.” (The screenplay was ultimately credited to story creator Gary F. Thompson, Erik Bergquist and Ayer.)

Universal/Getty Images

5. Born and raised in Southern California, where car culture reigns supreme and his grandfather owned a garage and was “king of the track” in his day, Walker was the self-described gearhead of the bunch. The actor, already the owner of a 1967 Chevy II Nova Super Sport and a 1966 Buick Skylark Gran Sport, had always been into American-made cars (“domestics,” he called them), but after getting a taste of the Nissan Skyline R33 in the movie, he bought his own, imported from Japan.

“I was never really into this whole import car scene,” he explained to E! News in 2001, “until actually I got more involved with the film. I was pretty hip to what it was about, you know I understand turbos…intake, exhaust, cutting out the air box, putting in an air filter—I know all the lingo, I know what it’s about.” Still, he added, “It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I’m getting into it. After driving a few of them, I was like [nodding his head], ‘Alright.'”

But his own shiny new Nissan was not fluorescent-anything. “Mine’s more low-profile,” he said with a smile. “I race it out in Palmdale a lot.” 

However, when he got to racing school in Las Vegas, where he and his co-stars trained, he said in the film’s production notes, “I learned just how little I actually knew about driving.”

Universal Pictures

6. As for Dominic Toretto’s unbridled passion for cars, that was pure performance on Diesel’s part. “I’m a New Yorker, and I don’t think you can live in New York and be a car guy,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly in 2001.

However, in the production notes, he said, “Cars and the idea of speed have always fascinated me. I had a GSX-R that we’d drive at incredible speeds on the Belt Parkway and every direction out of Manhattan when I was in college. I was younger and more foolish then—and in love with the liberty that speed can give you. But now I’m an SUV kind of guy. “

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

7. Jordana Brewster wasn’t exactly an automotive enthusiast when she was cast as Mia Toretto, Dom’s sister and the reason Brian shows up at the bodega every day to order a crappy tuna sandwich. 

In fact, the 20-year-old didn’t even have a license. Her learner’s permit had been burning a hole in her wallet for three years “’cause I was just petrified of driving,” the actress, who like Diesel grew up in New York, admitted in a 2001 interview.

But she took lessons in NYC and passed her test the day before she was due to leave for L.A. Still, she volunteered to let someone else take the wheel for all of Mia’s hard-core driving, but the stunt coordinator took her to a big, empty, hosed-down parking lot so she could practice. “By the end of the day, I was peeling out, doing donuts and 360s,” she recalled, “and it was all good.”

So she had quite the journey.

“That really does blow me away, actually, now that I think about it,” Walker marveled to E! News about his onscreen love barely knowing how to drive in the beginning. “But no, she did a great job…She downplays it to this day, but I like to think she really had a good time.”

Perhaps, but Brewster told Entertainment Weekly in 2001, “I don’t like risking my life that much. My fastest street speed is 65 miles per hour.”

Michelle Rodriguez, however, was bummed that she only got to do so much driving herself before the stunt doubles took over. “I was kind of disappointed,” she told EW. “I only had one day of racing school. It was sickening in this beautiful way. It pissed me off I wasn’t allowed to go more than 80 miles per hour. I can do that on the freeway, you know?”

Universal Pictures

8. Rodriguez also wasn’t thrilled with the initial role of Letty Ortiz, which had her as more of a one-note sexy Latina girlfriend and involved a love triangle between her, Dom and Brian.

“It was a reality check for them to realize that the streets don’t work like that,” Rodriguez told EW for a 2021 oral history of the film. “You don’t just get with a guy because he’s hot. There’s a hierarchy there. Can that hot guy get beat up by who you’re dating? If he can, then you don’t date him, because why would you want to lose the hierarchy? In order to keep it real, I had to school them: ‘I know you guys like Hollywood and all that, but if you want it to be realistic, this is how it really works, and I’m not going to be a slut in front of millions of people, so you’re going to lose me if you don’t change this.’ And they figured it out.”

As Brewster recalled it appreciatively, “When Michelle read her role, she was like, ‘No, I’m not playing that.’ And then she changed it completely. It went from a trophy girlfriend to this really layered character.”

Walker told E! News of his co-star, who was appearing in only her second movie ever after her breakout in Girlfight, “Michelle Rodriguez probably plays one of the toughest characters you’ve ever seen in a movie. From knocking out a guy to some of those driving sequences, she’s just a tough, really cool character.”

Reflecting on the input she’d had in the franchise over the years, Rodriguez told Entertainment Weekly in 2017, “At the end of the day, the only leverage I have as an individual is my participation. That’s the only leverage I ever use with anything. It’s like, look, this doesn’t agree with my ethics, morals. My heart doesn’t feel right doing this in front of millions of people, so I can always oblige myself and depart because money, to me, isn’t as important as my lines that you’re not allowed to cross.”

Universal Pictures

9. Walker and Diesel went to an illegal race to better immerse themselves in the world of Dom and his fellow speed demons—and found themselves having to hightail it out of there when police helicopters showed up to disperse the crowd. “It was awesome,” Walker said with a smile in a 2013 Q&A sit-down for Moviefone ahead of the release of The Fast and Furious 6.

On EW‘s Binge Diesel recalled, “Paul grew up in L.A. and was accustomed to that, and I wasn’t, so I remember when the helicopters came, I was like, ‘Well which way do you run?!'” Luckily, a friendly law-flouting racer offered them a ride away from the action.

Meanwhile, the crowd at the race where Brian is treated to what he’s in for going up against Dom—”You almost had me?”—is full of actual illegal street racers. “They were feeding with such authentic energy that it made it so much easier for Paul and I to delve into the scene and really rip it apart,” Diesel said. “We were lucky.”

Universal Pictures

10. That’s director Rob Cohen as the Pizza Hut delivery guy who’s ticked off to see his route blocked by all the hooligans. “Damn street racers,” he grumbles.

Moviestore/Shutterstock

11. During some of the most heart-racing scenes, the cars might not have even been moving. “I told them, ‘Sometimes you’re going to be in front of green screen and going no miles an hour,'” Cohen told EW in 2001. “And then you still might feel stupid going 50 miles per hour, but when the film comes out, it’ll look like light speed.”‘

Stunt coordinator and second-unit director Mic Rodgers crafted what came to be known on set as the “Mic Rig,” a truck with the cab chopped off so that they could mount the body of a car (with the chassis removed) in the bed in order to give the illusion that the car was speeding along with one of the actors behind the wheel. A professional stunt driver would then steer the truck while the actors hung on for the ride.

Bob Marshak/Original/Kobal/Shutterstock

12. “I didn’t know just how much they were actually going to let me do [behind the wheel],” Walker told E! News. Ultimately, “they let me do a lot of it. Towards the end of the film and the climax, that was actually me…doing about 80 miles an hour before I jumped to the truck. That was Matt Schulze [who played Vince] and I, dangling on the semi-truck going down the highway at like 80, 90 miles an hour. The only other way to do it would have been green screen, but Rob wanted it to look real.”

“I like to mix it up,” the Varsity Blues and Pleasantville actor said of doing his own stunts, noting that some actors get a “prima donna” reputation for a reason and that’s not how he rolls. Being willing to get dirty and beat up a little bit “makes you one of the boys,” he reflected.

Universal Pictures

13. But Diesel and Walker were nowhere near a moving train when they shot their climactic final race against each other. Rather, the footage was spliced together to make it look as if the train narrowly missed their cars.

Still, each film in the series ever after had to include an explicit message in the credits warning people not to try these car stunts at home or…anywhere at all.

Universal/Getty Images

14. The storied bromance between Walker and Diesel that became part of the Fast Family lore was not a given. At first, neither was sure about the other and some of their characters’ confrontations—such as when Brian is outed as a cop and Dom stares him down while a member of his crew holds a shotgun to Brian’s head—got pretty intense. Like, for real. 

“That was pretty heated…We got into it and we both, for some reason, insecurities were kicking in, we weren’t too comfortable with the way it was playing out,” Walker told E! News. “Rob stepped up like a good director should and he was like, ‘Look, I don’t know what you guys are chirping about, this is perfect, just play it out as you have been and I guarantee you the shots are gonna be good.'”

“Rob was right, I think it played pretty well,” he concluded. “It’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie, actually.”

Diesel said they got along from the beginning but also acknowledged an East Coast-West Coast standoff vibe between them at first, recalling to Binge how at the time the world was still processing the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, thought to be casualties of hip-hop’s geographical rivalry.

“If you can remember where you are, 1999, this is not common for a New Yorker and a West Coast [guy] to kind of find common ground,” he explained, “which in some ways lends itself to each character’s journey in the relationship and the objective of finding that brotherhood.”

Universal/Getty Images

15. “Sitting around on set you got to mix it up, you got to keep it fun,” Walker explained when asked about Brewster’s claim that he and Diesel were quite the pranksters on set. So if there happened to be a camera lying around, “my favorite thing is, you know, you’ve got to take a photo of something semi-obscene, maybe someone’s bare butt or something like that…So when they go to develop their film, there’s a bare ass.”

And that, friends, is why in this day and age you don’t leave your phone unattended.

Universal Pictures

16. Ja Rule had a cameo as Edwin, a fellow racer who greets Brian at the scene when he first challenges Dom, and the “Furious” rapper has several songs on the soundtrack—but he turned down a chance to play a much bigger role in the franchise.

When Diesel passed on the sequel, the rapper followed suit, telling MTV News in 2002, “He hollered at me ’cause they still wanted me to do the film and they bumped up my role as a starring role and everything. And you know, we talked about it. I just felt it wasn’t the best move for me as far as what I want to do in Hollywood right now. I’m really trying to do this acting thing very seriously. And you know, sometimes every move is not the right move.”

It was the right move for Ludacris, whose character Tej was created to fill that Ja Rule-shaped hole, according to 2 Fast 2 Furious director John Singleton. The late filmmaker told Grantland in 2015 of Ja, “He turned down a half a million dollars. He got 15 grand to be in the first movie. He was really big at that time. I guess Murder Inc. was throwing out hits and were making money hand over foot. He was acting like he was too big to be in the sequel. He wouldn’t return calls. I went to the studio to go see him—that’s just my mantra, I deal with a lot of music people. He was kinda playing me to the side and I was like, ‘What? What is this s–t?’ This was all initiated by me. I then made a call. I called Ludacris. I said, ‘Hey, Luda, I haven’t met you before, but I like what you’re doing right now.'”

Singleton said he and Ja (who didn’t return Grantland’s calls, either) laughed about it a year later when they ran into each other at the Source Awards. “I took him under my arm and said, ‘Man, when I call you, you listen. I ain’t calling you for no bulls–t,'” the director recalled. “He said, ‘Yeah, man, I’m sorry about that.’ He apologized. I love Ja. I still think Ja has a lot of personality and can come back in a different way.”

Universal Pictures

17. The humble family abode in Boyle Heights with the street number 1327 whose siren song Dom ultimately can’t resist, no matter how many millions he and his crew make off with, can be found at 724 East Kensington Road in Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood, not far from Dodger Stadium. And the store that stands in for the Toretto family bodega is right down the street.

LMPC via Getty Images

18. The movie, for the entirety of production, was called Redline.

“I wanted to keep Red Line,” Diesel recalled to Binge, “and it was Neal Moritz who called me and said, ‘I got the title.’ Right before we were supposed to open the movie!” The film, originally supposed to come out in March, had also been bumped to the summer—another thing Diesel was disappointed by at the time but later realized was a total blessing.

“We had gone through many titles: Redline, Racer X, Race Wars, Street Wars. They were all cheesy,” Moritz told EW for the oral history. “And I went to watch a documentary on Roger Corman, who I’ve known since I was a kid, and there was a little section on a movie he’d made called The Fast and the Furious. I thought, ‘That’s the title of this movie!'”

Universal Pictures then licensed the title from B-movie master Corman, who wrote and produced the 1954 crime caper of the same name—which involves a wrongfully accused fugitive gunning for the Mexican border in his getaway Jaguar.

Universal Pictures

19. Not that anyone was too concerned as to how Dom and Letty ended up in the Dominican Republic, where the action in 2009’s Fast & Furious (installment No. 4) begins, but to build a bridge from the end of The Fast and the Furious, Diesel wrote (with T.J. Mancini) and directed “Los Bandoleros.” The short film takes the couple to the Caribbean and also introduces Sung Kang‘s Han into the mix.

Or reintroduces, since Kang is a star of 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the third film made though you later find out its action unfolds after the events of Fast & Furious 6.

Yes, you can get a little whiplash riding around with this crew.

Bob Marshak/Original/Kobal/Shutterstock

20. The makers of The Fast and the Furious knew they at least had a fun summer popcorn movie on their hands, but they had to steer around a few skeptics.

“That year, this is the comment I got all the time: ‘You do know Jerry Bruckheimer is making Gone in 60 Seconds don’t you? And Stallone is making Driven?'” Cohen recalled to Reach Further. “‘What chance does your little car movie have against this?’ I go, ‘I don’t know—I’m doing something different.’ That’s all I said, all that year. When it came out, it blew both movies away.”

Trending Stories

1

Jared Padalecki “Gutted” to Not Be Part of Supernatural Spinoff

2

Channing Tatum Shares First Photo of Daughter Everly’s Face

3

Jennifer Aniston Recalls Rude Friends Guest Star

And yes, Diesel was famously anti-sequel.

“I was a fan of classics, so Rebel Without a Cause, On the Waterfront, older movies that were classics,” he told EW‘s Binge. “I had seen movies get sequelized and quite often studios would just brand the movies…They weren’t trying to Francis Ford Coppola the movie, they weren’t trying to go the extra level to make sure that you were building off the existing story and the existing characters and having those characters evolve.

“You just simply call it whatever the brand thing is and not evolve the story in an episodic fashion. That’s why I said, ‘Guys, if you do another one, you’ll jeopardize this first one being a classic.'”

But in hindsight, it’s apparent that everything happened for a reason.

Even his altruistic artist dad was questioning his son’s choice back then, Diesel said with a laugh, remembering the reaction to him turning down 2 Fast 2 Furious. “But by doing that you send a message with your actions that you have to continue with integrity,” he explained. “So if I didn’t opt out of being in the second one I never would’ve been able to be in the position to become the producer and have such an incredible role in the thinking. When I did the fourth one [after a surprise cameo in Tokyo Drift], roles had reversed.”

He saw so far into the future of the saga’s mythology, Diesel said, he didn’t hold back on his suggestions, advising the studio that they could save money if they just filmed the fourth and fifth movies at the same time. “And they almost kicked me off the Universal lot,” he said, chuckling, instead reminding him, “‘You’re lucky we’re making a Fast 4!'”

F9 is in theaters and IMAX Friday, June 25.

(E! and Universal Pictures are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)