I’m not a Vin Diesel fan. Personally, I can’t think of a single film that he’s been in were his performance was any more than “adequate”. I’m not saying he hasn’t been in any good movies (Saving Private Ryan, Iron Giant), it’s just that I honestly don’t find him to be an exceptional actor.
Now, having said that, Vin Diesel is actually one of the more intelligent guys you’ll find around Hollywood. Despite his skid like exterior, he’s actually very well spoken, carries himself well, and in all reality has made some very good career decisions. He seems to pick the right kind of projects to be involved in at the right time, takes some risks (some of which just don’t work out) and most importantly he knows when to hop of a sinking ship. For example…
Both xXx and Fast and the Furious were modest hits that would have certainly netted Vin big paydays for sequels. However, he was sharp enough to recognize that sequels to the horrible Point Break rip off Fast and the Furious and dumb to the core xXx were stupid ideas. Yes, he could have taken some big paychecks for those sequels… but he knew they were bad ideas and decided not to take the fast money at the expense of his thriving career. Good for him.
Want more proof that a sequel to xXx was a bad idea? Well… they got Ice Cube to be the new lead (nuff said).
So no, I don’t think Vin Diesel is much of an actor… but you’ve got to tip your hat to a guy who seems to knows when to takes risks and how to be smart with his career. Good on ya Vin.
