Paul Walter Hauser does not want to be compared to Vin Diesel, thank you very much
Hauser did not hesitate to call out Diesel's alleged bad behavior at a press junket for Inside Out 2
The emotions inside the brain of the CinemaBlend interviewer who inadvertently got a whole rant out of Paul Walter Hauser at the Inside Out 2 press junket must have gone into overdrive the minute they realized what was happening. Junkets are great for learning more about actor’s methods and behind-the-scenes tidbits, but rarely do journalists score actual industry tea of this magnitude. Hauser clearly had no such qualms about calling people out.
While discussing the arc of new emotion Embarrassment, which Hauser voices, CinemaBlend’s interviewer suggested that the actor was “like Vin Diesel (who voices Marvel’s Groot) now.” Without missing a beat, Hauser responded, “Please don’t say that.”
“I like to think I’m on time. And approachable,” he continued. “Sorry, I love people, but when I hear stories about Hollywood actors who get paid really well and mistreat people, I out them constantly. And it’s a blast.”
It’s a blast for us too. Diesel and Hauser have never worked together, mind you, but rumors of his bad behavior on the various sets of the Fast & Furious franchise have been swirling for years. Who can forget Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s allegation that Diesel was a “Candy Ass,” kicking off one of the great feuds in recent Hollywood memory. Apparently the two action stars couldn’t stand to be in the same room to film a scene together, leading to Johnson’s departure from the franchise in 2017, before his brief return for a cameo in 2023's Fast X. Some of the rumors at the time did indeed have to do with Diesel’s alleged tardiness, but a lengthy piece in The Wrap recently accused Johnson of committing the same sin (as well as peeing in water bottles), so it sounds like the whole thing was really just a giant mess—one Hauser would very much like to be excluded from.
In 2023, a former assistant of Diesel’s also sued him for alleged sexual battery that had occurred during the production of Fast Five in 2010. Diesel has “categorically denied” these allegations against him, per Variety.