Summary
- Timothy Olyphant reflects on turning down the chance to play Dominic Toretto in Fast & Furious and believes the franchise wouldn’t have been as successful with him in the role.
- Olyphant has had a successful career, starring in films like Hitman and TV shows like Justified, Deadwood, and The Mandalorian.
- Olyphant praises Vin Diesel and acknowledges that Diesel’s performance has contributed to Fast & Furious’ success. Olyphant seemingly has no regrets about his decision to decline the role.
Timothy Olyphant reflects on turning down the chance to play Fast & Furious‘ Dominic Toretto. Olyphant has starred in a number of feature films and television shows, such as Scream 2, Hitman, Justified, Deadwood, Santa Clarita Diet, and The Mandalorian. Meanwhile, Vin Diesel would take on the role of Dominic Torretto, playing the street-racing criminal-turned-globe-trotting action hero for ten movies, with two further installments in the works.
As Olyphant returns in Justified: City Primeval, the actor sat down for an episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast (ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike), where he reflected on roles he either rejected or wasn’t ultimately cast in. This includes Fast & Furious. When asked whether he believes the Fast & Furious franchise would be the success it is today if he had taken the role, Olyphant admitted he didn’t think so. Check out Olyphant’s full answer below:
I’m gonna give them the benefit of the doubt that no, they would not, no. I haven’t seen those movies, but y’know, they’re part of the culture that I know what they are. And it feels like part of what makes that, [Vin Diesel] is a huge- he’s just unlike anything out there… I remember thinking “I can’t make this work,” I was like, “Why would I be in this?” at the time. But he seems like they got the right guy. But look, I felt the same thing when I was doing Hitman and there I was getting paid, so f*ck, who knows?
What Did Timothy Olyphant Do After Rejecting Fast & Furious?
While Olyphant may not be portraying Dom in the Fast Saga, the actor has enjoyed plenty of success across his own career. After rejecting the role, Olyphant would go on to portray assassin Agent 47 in 2007’s Hitman, an adaptation of IO Interactive’s hit stealth video game franchise. He would also take on roles across a variety of genres including action and horror, appearing in titles such as Live Free and Die Hard, A Perfect Getaway, and The Crazies. It can be argued, however, that some of Olyphant’s most recognizable characters come from his work on television.
Olyphant has played both leading and supporting roles in a number of celebrated, long-running series. He’s played several tough-talking lawmen across his career through the roles of Sheriff Seth Bullock, Marshal Raylan Givens, and Marshal Cobb Vanth in Deadwood, Justified, and The Mandalorian, respectively. At the same time, he’s also ventured into comedy, even playing a fictionalized version of himself throughout the later seasons of The Good Place. Olyphant has held a varied career since he declined Fast & Furious.
Olyphant might’ve made a solid Dominic Toretto, but it is hard to disagree with his praise for Diesel. Diesel’s gruff declarations of family and his enthusiasm for the series have become just as synonymous with the Fast & Furious franchise as the high-stakes races and over-the-top stunts. Furthermore, with Olyphant himself leading many productions since declining the role, it is clear he has no regrets over his decision.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
