The Fast and Furious movies may not be the pinnacle of artistic filmmaking, but fans can’t seem to get enough of the fast-paced action scenes and cinematic explosions. It seems like the Fast cast have a good time making the movies as well, considering how many of them have frequently returned to these movies. Not only are they fun, but they have become quite lucrative, resulting in a likely big pay day for the action stars, especially Vin Diesel. Considering the franchise's success, Timothy Olyphant was recently asked if he regrets turning down leading the movie series, as he was once asked to play Dom Toretto.
Back in the early 2000s, Olyphant was a rising star. He had a lot of success with movies like Scream 2 and Go, and it made sense that film producers approached him to lead their then-upcoming action film, The Fast and the Furious. Olyphant ended up turning down the film, and the role eventually went to Vin Diesel, who has been leading the hit action franchise for almost 25 years. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he regretted the decision, Olyphant said:
The pitfall here is that it’s very hard to answer that question without feeling like I’m offending somebody. 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.
Considering the Fast franchise's financial success, asking the Justified star if he regrets turning a role down is a valid question. Stars have admitted to regretting turning down roles before, like Matt Damon, who turned down a potential $250 million payday when he walked away from Avatar. Will Smith also turned down The Matrix, a decision he later admitted to be a real miss by him. In Hollywood, one career choice can shape the rest of your life, which is why the big misses sometimes stick out the most.
Even if Olyphant didn’t get the Fast and Furious payday that likely could have been life changing, not participating in the franchise allowed him to do a myriad of other projects that were fantastic and wouldn’t have been the same without him. His run on Justified was incredible, and his acting talent made the show what it was. Interesting shows like Santa Clarita Diet and Deadwood were also fantastic creative work that truly allowed Olyphant to showcase his range. Franchises are lucrative for actors, but they can also be time commitments, and I’m happy the TV star was able to have such a varied career as a result of not getting locked into a franchise.
If Olyphant did have any regrets, it seems like he has moved past them. Ultimately, the Fast and Furious role ended up going to someone who was actually passionate about the project, and Diesel has been playing Dom Toretto in his own signature way for years. Olyphant is such a different kind of leading man than Diesel, and his portrayal of Dom likely would have shaped the entire franchise differently. While I still want to see what an Olyphant-led Fast and Furious movie would look like, I think it ultimately went to the right guy for the job.
While you won’t be seeing Timothy Olyphant in a Fast and Furious movie, you can see him in his latest project, Alien: Earth, which is now streaming with a Hulu subscription. Fans of Fast and Furious can see Vin Diesel taking the lead in the most recent film, Fast X, which is currently available on Starz.
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