Miami: Vin Diesel and the cast spoke of the memory of their late co-star at a special event surrounding the release of the ninth chapter of the series: F9: Fast and Furious 9.
With the recent death of basketball great Kobe Bryant, Diesel was reminded of the loss of his friend.
"Tell me about it … I can't make a Fast without Pablo in my thoughts, in my everyday activity, in my approach to every scene. His spirit must live in this saga, because his spirit, in so many ways, is what drives me to continue the saga," Diesel told the Associated Press on a red-carpet Friday in Miami.
The film took over a park in Miami for the debut of the movie's trailer and a concert starring Cardi B, Wiz Khalifa, and Charlie Puth, among others.
After the red carpet, Diesel took to the stage and told the crowd that his family was at the event, and that included Meadow Walker, the daughter of Paul Walker.
Ludacris opened the show, and before performing he spoke of how the Fast and Furious family honors Walker.
"We start off with prayers. We always talk about family and how important family is, and this is a whole family, this entire cast," he said. "And it's always in remembrance and in motivation of how we're doing our duty and honoring Paul Walker, and now even Kobe Bryant, of making sure that we do everything in our power to make the best movie possible, so that it resonates with everyone, the love and the family it instills."
Fast star Michelle Rodriguez says Walker and Bryant always will live on in people's memories.
WATCH | F9 The Fast Saga teaser released
"The legacy is the is, is the immortality of that wonderful human. And that's the only thing you can do as a person who - who's still here, is to assure that that beauty of that legacy lives on," Rodriguez said.
Before performing their song, See You Again, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth spoke about what it meant to create music that payed tribute to Walker after his death in 2013.
"A lot of people deal with losses in different ways, and this was an opportunity to be able to not only reflect on it, but to try to help people get through it," Khalifa said. "And music can make you feel better. You can express yourself. Sometimes you might not necessarily cry when something happens, but you might hear a song and it might bring that emotion out of you. And that's how you kind of like cleanse, and do better later, you know what I'm saying?"
Puth says he's humbled by the power of the song.
"I wrote that song five years ago, and here it's taken on so many shapes and sizes and lives, much more than I ever initially ever thought it would take, so I'm very humbled by all of this," Puth said.
Director Jon Lin, who worked with Walker, agreed that Bryant's death serves as a reminder.
"It really just reminds you to kind of look around and appreciate everything, you know," he said. "And, you know, I know where everybody is kind of in shock, but we're all still kind of connected through that emotion. And I feel like it's something that, you know, I think being a big part of this family, it's something that we can look at each other and really look back and appreciate. And as we move forward, take nothing for granted."
As for the trailer release for the ninth installment, Diesel says he owes it all to the fans.
"You fans have been so loyal, you're the best fans of any saga, any franchise in Hollywood history," he said. "And because you were so patient, while we made 'Fast 9,' and you were there with us every day when we were making it, we knew that it would be a special occasion when the trailer dropped. So, the studio came up with the most insane idea ... To have a concert to celebrate the release of the F9 trailer."
And how insane is the film?
"Defying physics," Rodriguez said. "Lots of surprises as far as a new member to the family, that that's unbeknownst to the fans. But yeah, this one - this one's pushing all the lines. The drama line is pushed really heavily. The action line is pushed really heavily. I mean, we're pushing all the lines. It's nuts. I always wonder how they top the last one. And then I'm like, 'Oh, so that's how.'"
F9: Fast and Furious 9 zooms into theaters this May.
With inputs from APTN
