Six years ago, Paul Walker, the actor who made a name for himself playing Brian O’Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise tragically passed away. Adding insult to injury, Walker’s demise happened in the midst of Furious 7‘s production. Walkers younger brothers Caleb and Cody Walker came on board to help director James Wan complete the project, by posing as Paul’s body double (James Wan used extensive CGI face-swapping). It’s widely documented that the Fast & Furious gang are not just a family on set but off set as well. This was very apparent in the scene on the beach that leads towards the Paul Walker/Brian O’Conner tribute package in Furious 7 where we see some of the likes of Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson trying to hold back genuine tears as they talked about one of their closest friends.
Speaking of Tyrese, in an Instagram post, the actor who plays Roman Pierce in the Fast & Furious franchise, wrote about how much Paul Walker means to him and that every single one of them thought about him on the set of Fast & Furious 9.
Today 6 years ago I got the worst phone call I’ve ever gotten in my life….. Roland your best man and our brother….. I guess that’s why I’ve slept the day away cause I just want this particular day to go away…… today I choose to remember your hugs, today I choose to remember your smile, today I choose to remember the distinct sound of your laugh…. today I choose to remember that we shared too many stories of how we loved our daughters… Today I choose to tell you that we thought about you everyday on the set of Fast9 and when we were tired YOU pulled us UP….. Nothing is or will ever be the same without you……. REST IN HEAVEN P!!!! Thank you for coming to our planet and creating the shift!!!!!!!!
Fast & Furious 9 is set to be released in theatres on 21 May 2020.
