Vin Diesel leads an emotional tribute to his late friend at the Cannes Film Festival.
A surprise late-night celebration of The Fast & Furious turned into a moving memorial at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, as cast, fans, and members of Paul Walker’s family gathered for a sold-out midnight screening at the Grand Lumiere Theatre. Vin Diesel led the moment, honoring Walker shortly after the credits ended.
“I pray that in your life, you can have a brother like Paul,” Diesel said according to Variety, starting to cry as he remembered his late friend after the credits rolled on the film.
Diesel also introduced Paul’s daughter, Meadow, 27, in a touching tribute.
“The person who was not going to let me come alone here to represent that brotherhood was Meadow Walker,” Diesel, 58.
“I’m gonna go and shed a tear real quick.”
He went on to share a conversation he had with Meadow earlier that day, reflecting on the full-circle nature of the evening.
“She said, ‘I’m 27, and I’m watching this film that my father made at 27,’ and I thought, ‘How profound,’” Diesel said.
“Meadow has been such a source of strength, and I know he’d be so proud of you.”
Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster joined Diesel for the tribute. Together, the longtime co-stars worked alongside Walker across six entries in the franchise before his death. Walker died on Nov. 13, 2023 in a car crash alongside his friend and financial advisor, Roger Rodas, who was driving. Reports stated there were no drugs or alcohol in either of their systems, though the car was traveling at 100 mph.
Walker was born in Glendale, California. He began acting at age 11, appearing in a range of TV projects including sitcoms such as Throb and later the soap opera The Young and the Restless. After moving into film work in 1986, his career reached a new level when he was cast in The Fast and the Furious.
Diesel explained that revisiting the movie now carries a different weight, as memories behind the scenes have become inseparable from what appears on screen.
“It’s so hard for me to watch it because there’s so many moments in this movie that you see, that I see differently,” Diesel said.
“The scene that you see, I see the moment Pablo told me he had a 1-year-old daughter.”
The tribute concluded with the group receiving a four-minute standing ovation from the audience. Elsewhere at Cannes that night, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma—starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder—was also met with an extended reception, earning a six-minute standing ovation during its world premiere.