:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/fast-furious-cd4e484ed1fb415aa6200cde405465cb.jpg "The Fast and the Furious at 25: See where the franchise's original cast is today")
Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of the stars on the original film's 25th anniversary. The Fast and the Furious at 25: See where the franchise's original cast is today Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of the stars on the original film's 25th anniversary. and Rachel LaBonte June 22, 2026 1:19 p.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/fastfuriouscd4e484ed1fb415aa6200cde405465cb.jpg) Michelle Rodriguez, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster in 'The Fast and the Furious'.
Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of the stars on the original film's 25th anniversary.
The Fast and the Furious at 25: See where the franchise's original cast is today
Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of the stars on the original film's 25th anniversary.
and Rachel LaBonte
June 22, 2026 1:19 p.m. ET
Michelle Rodriguez, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster in 'The Fast and the Furious'. Credit:
Not even Dominic Toretto could jump a car across the distance between the original *The Fast and the Furious* (2001) and *Fast X* (2023).
Named after (but not based on) a vintage hot rod movie from 1954,* The Fast and the Furious* is a gritty, street-level crime action-drama film that features exhilarating racing scenes designed to appeal to gearheads everywhere. As the franchise evolved, however, it took a hard left turn into spectacle, arguably culminating with *F9*'s trip to outer space.
In other words, the franchise has come a long way since Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) first crossed paths. Things last left off with *Fast X*’s explosive cliffhanger, which left virtually every main character in danger and featured some surprising returns. Since then, *Fast & Furious* has been stuck in a bit of a holding pattern as development on the eleventh installment — expected to be the last in the main series — has hit some speed bumps.
Currently titled *Fast Forever*, the eleventh movie has, at various points, held release dates in 2025 and 2026. Universal has now scheduled it for March 17, 2027. *Fast X *director Louis Leterrier will be back behind the camera for the movie, which, according to Diesel, will return to the series’ roots.
In an Instagram post teasing the finale, the actor highlighted *Fast Forever*’s ties to the original film. “And when you find out you're going back to Los Angeles… back to the streets where it all began, something clicks into place,” he wrote. “The city that made the first film feel alive, still here, still holding. Coming home to close it out right. That's not logistics. That's a gift.”
June 22 marks the 25th anniversary of *The Fast and the Furious*. Though the tone and overall story has changed drastically, the core cast remains intact, with Diesel’s Dom serving as the glue that holds the entire family together. In honor of this milestone anniversary, ** is looking back at the stars who made this series possible.
Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto)
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Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Diesel today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
When *The Fast and the Furious* hit theaters in the summer of 2001, Vin Diesel was just beginning his career as an action hero. He gained experience in tearjerkers *Saving Private Ryan *(1998) and *The Iron Giant* (1999), followed by his first big starring role in *Pitch Black *(2000), where he played the movie's brooding anti-hero, Riddick. But it was the one-two punch (pun totally intended) of *The* *Fast and the Furious *and *XXX *(2002) that made him the famous muscleman we know him as today.
Diesel has since appeared in sequels of *Pitch Black *and *XXX* and joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the voice of *Guardians of the Galaxy**'*s lovable tree-man Groot. He's even taken on more serious roles in recent years, like his performance as a fallen soldier in Ang Lee's film *Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk *(2016).
But his greatest loyalty has been to the* Fast and Furious *films. Ironically, Diesel told EW he almost dropped out of the first movie due to the initial script, but screenwriter David Ayer collaborated with Diesel on a rewrite, and together they made his character far more complex. The rest is history, as the actor is now an outspoken cheerleader for the franchise and has been involved on multiple levels as a producer of many movies and as the director of the *F&F *short film *Los Bandoleros *(2009). Hey, he said he was all about family...
Paul Walker (Brian O'Conner)
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Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Walker at a 'Fast & Furious' event. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Paul Walker's life and career were tragically cut short on Nov. 30, 2013, when he died in a car crash in Santa Clarita, Calif., at the age of 40. His castmates said goodbye to him at the end of *Furious 7* (2015) in an emotional scene where Dom and Brian drive together down a coastal highway before splitting off onto different roads. For those shots, Walker's brother Caleb stood in as a body double, and Paul's face was added with CGI.
Before his breakthrough role as undercover-cop-turned-street-racer Brian O'Conner, Walker got his start on the soap *The Young and the Restless, *followed by supporting parts in the teen movies *Varsity Blues *and *She's All That *in 1999. Once the racing franchise (and his career) took off in 2001, Walker was a devoted member of the* Fast and Furious* family, returning for every sequel with the exception of 2006's *The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift**.*
Between *F&F *films, he also starred in a series of thriller and crime B-movies such as *Timeline* (2003), where he played an archaeologist who goes back in time to 14th-century France, along with Clint Eastwood's *Flags of Our Fathers *and the sled dog drama *Eight Below *in 2006.
But* F&F *was never the same without Walker. "We've felt the loss," Diesel told *ET** *in 2016, referring to the cast. "The last three years have been some of the hardest of my life because of losing my brother like that." Though he's no longer with us, his memory lives on in many ways. His daughter, Meadow, made a cameo in *Fast X*, and Diesel has hinted that *Fast Forever *will bring back Brian in some form.
Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto)
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Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Brewster today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
The globe-trotting Jordana Brewster spent her childhood living between London, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City. It was in the latter that she attended theater school and got her start in soap operas before landing her first lead part in the sci-fi horror flick *The Faculty* (1998). But it was her role as Dom's sister, Mia Toretto, that made her a star.
After *The Fast and the Furious*, Brewster starred in a string of movies like *D.E.B.S. *(2004),* The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning *(2006), and Justin Lin's *Annapolis* (2006). Lin, who helmed five of the *F&F *films, also directed Brewster in her big comeback to the series in *Fast & Furious* (2009), the fourth movie in the franchise, where she again teamed up with Dom and got back together with her ex, Brian. She's expected to return for *Fast Forever*.
Since then, Brewster has spent most of her career with her *F&F* family or in recurring roles on TV, with her two longest gigs being TNT's* Dallas* reboot and the TV version of *Lethal Weapon* on Fox. In 2025, she also got another meaty role on the big screen in the romantic slasher *Heart Eyes.*
Vin Diesel tears up honoring Paul Walker in moving tribute with his daughter at 'Fast & Furious' screening
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Vin Diesel says 4 'Fast & Furious' shows are in the works at Peacock
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Michelle Rodríguez (Letty Ortiz)
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Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Oritz in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Rodriguez today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Michelle Rodriguez's first movie roles in *Girlfight *(2000) and *The Fast and the Furious* set the tone for the rest of her career. In both of those films, she plays tough, streetwise gals who don't take any crap but *could* beat the crap out of you if they felt like it.
And she's continued to portray similar characters, appearing as cops (*S.W.A.T.*), soldiers (*Resident Evil, Avatar, Battle: Los Angeles*), revolutionaries (*Machete,* *Machete Kills)*, and bank robbers (*Widows*) over the course of her long and successful career. Even her character on* **Lost**,* Ana Lucia Cortez, was an ex-cop with rage issues.
One of Rodriguez's most unusual roles is in the trippy indie horror movie *She Dies Tomorrow *(2020), where she plays a depressed young woman named Sky who's oddly unfazed when a stranger covered in blood arrives at her door. Her two most recent cinematic roles were *Fast X *and *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* (2023), where she played the barbarian Holga Kilgore. She'll almost certainly be back to close out Letty's story in *Fast Forever*.
Chad Lindberg (Jesse)
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Chad Lindberg as Jesse in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Lindberg at a Paramount+ event. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Chad Lindberg — who plays Jesse, the anti-establishment computer wiz of Dom's crew — has done everything from beloved films like *October Sky *(1999) to one-off roles on shows like *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* and* Law & Order*.
On TV, he's known for his work on* **Supernatural**,* where he played another computer genius — mulleted Harvelle's Roadhouse resident Ash — from 2005-2010. In the movies, his biggest post-*Furious *gig was as Matthew, a member of the group of creeps who get their comeuppance in the remake* I Spit on Your Grave *(2010). He also played a role in Kevin Coster's Western epic *Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2* (2024) and recently appeared in several episodes of Peacock's *The 'Burbs*.
As a child, Lindberg nearly died from complications of Reye's Syndrome, and he's been obsessed with ghosts ever since. He turned that passion into practice as a paranormal investigator on *Ghost Adventures *in 2012 and by hosting the miniseries *Ghost Stalkers *in 2014.
Johnny Strong (Leon)
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Johnny Strong as Leon in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Strong today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Johnny Strong came to the role of Leon, a member of Dom's racing crew, as a trained martial artist. (Strong has studied judo, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, and Jeet Kune Do.) So it may come as a surprise that he hasn't been in many martial arts movies — his roles tend to lean more towards soldiers, cops, and criminals, as seen in projects like the Sylvester Stallone action flick *Get Carter* (2000), *Black Hawk Down* (2001), and *Sinners and Saints* (2010), among others.
Acting is just one of Strong's creative hats: He also started the post-grunge rock band Operator, with whom he's recorded seven albums. Strong makes music under his own name as well and composed the scores for three of his films. In recent years, he's also gotten into crafting weapons and has been featured on the cover of *Blade *magazine — twice.
Matt Schulze (Vince)
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Matt Schulze as Vince in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Schulze today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
In *The Fast and the Furious,* Matt Schulze plays Dom's childhood friend Vince, a.k.a. the loudmouth bruiser in the sleeveless T-shirt who threatens to beat up Paul Walker at the beginning of the film. In real life, Schulze is more of a Renaissance man who trained as a musician and worked as a model before taking on his role in the burgeoning franchise.
His resume is eclectic as well. Schulze had a successful run as an action star in the late '90s and 2000s, appearing in* **Blade** *(1998), *Blade II* (2002), *The Transporter *(2002), and *Torque* (2004), as well as *The Fast and the Furious*. In 2008, he wrote, directed, and starred in the spy thriller *The Acquirer* before returning to the family in *Fast Five* (2011).
Since then, he's appeared in the Johnny Knoxville vehicle *Action Point* (2018) and 2025's *Transference*.
Rick Yune (Johnny Tran)
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Rick Yune as Johnny Tran in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Yune today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
A pioneering force who led the way for future generations of Asian American actors, Rick Yune played Vietnamese gang leader Johnny Tran in *The Fast and the Furious* (Yune himself is Korean American). He followed the film's success with another notable villain turn, this time facing off against James Bond in *Die Another Day* (2002) as Zao, a North Korean terrorist with piercing blue eyes and a face full of diamonds (literally, the gems are embedded in his face).
Yune is often cast as a villain, playing baddies in *Ninja Assassin *(2009), Netflix's *Marco Polo *(2014-2016), and *Olympus Has Fallen* (2013), where he portrayed *another *North Korean terrorist. He played a more heroic role in RZA's martial arts epic *The Man With the Iron Fists *(2012), wherein he whipped out his Olympic-level taekwondo training. But to first break out as a lead actor, he had to write his own starring role in *The Fifth Commandment* (2008), a *John Wick*-esque story about an assassin under fire from his pissed-off colleagues.
One of Yune's more recent projects was *Alita: Battle Angel* (2019), where he played the cyborg warrior Master Clive Lee. Michelle Rodríguez also appears in the movie in a small role as Alita's mentor, making the film a mini-*Furious* reunion. Yune also made a cameo at the end of the Indian film *L2: Empuraan *(2025), which sets up a larger role for him in the in-development sequel.
Ted Levine (Sgt. Tanner)
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Ted Levine as Sgt. Tanner in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Levine today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Ted Levine's most famous role came long before he was cast as Brian O'Conner's boss, Sgt. Tanner, in* The Fast and the Furious.* Although he looks completely different in the two movies, if you squint, you'll realize that Levine also played serial killer Jame Gumb, a.k.a. Buffalo Bill, in the multi-Oscar winner *The Silence of the Lambs* (1991).
Once you get over the shock, it might take another minute to recognize Levine as mustachioed police captain Leland Stottlemeyer on the acclaimed series *Monk**,* or as the similarly groomed NYPD Commissioner Thomas Byrnes on TNT's *The Alienist*.
After that, don't be surprised if you see his face pop up in just about anything: Levine has appeared in almost 100 films and TV shows over the course of his career, covering everything from prestige dramas like *Shutter Island* (2010) to big-name blockbusters like *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* (2018). Most recently, he popped up on the Netflix series *Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen*, playing the father to Adam DiMarco's groom. He also appeared on Apple TV's *Cape Fear*.
Thom Barry (Agent Bilkins)
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Thom Barry as Bilkins in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Barry today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Though one of his first film roles was playing Michael Jordan's dad in *Space Jam** *(1996), Thom Barry soon became a go-to character actor for authority figures (think cops, judges, and military men). He plays to this strength in* The Fast and the Furious *as FBI Agent Bilkins, who simply can't wait any longer for Brian to break the racing-heist case. He reprised the role in the sequel, *2 Fast 2 Furious* (2003), before taking on his longest-running and most recognizable role as Inspector Will Jeffries on the CBS police procedural *Cold Case*.
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Barry appeared in 156 episodes of that series between 2003-2010, and took on a few more supporting roles after that — he's the second* Fast and Furious/Texas Chainsaw* crossover on this list after Jordana Brewster, having played Sheriff Hooper in *Texas Chainsaw 3D* (2013) — before retiring from acting in 2017. He's also a committed advocate for animal rights.
Noel Gugliemi (Hector)
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Noel Gugliemi as Hector in 'The Fast and the Furious'; Gugliemi today. Everett Collection; Getty Images
Ever since his first appearance as "Latin Guy on Bicycle" in the Offspring's 1998 "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" video, Noel Gugliemi has stayed busy. He's the most prolific actor of *The Fast and the Furious *cast by far, with over 200 credits to his name. Many of those have been bit parts — with his signature shaved head and goatee, Gugliemi is a classic "that guy" character actor — although he's also done longer runs on TV series like *Mayans M.C. *and the sitcom *Fresh Off the Boat*.
Gugliemi's character on the latter was also named Hector. In fact, it's a name that's haunted him throughout his career. He's played "Hector" in eight different, unrelated projects — not to mention the time he reprised his role as* Fast and Furious'* street-racing kingpin Hector in *Furious 7* (2015). His other notable films include *Training Day *(2001) with Denzel Washington, *Street Kings *(2008) with Keanu Reeves, and *Dragged Across Concrete *(2018) with Mel Gibson.
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Source: "EW Action"
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Source: Action
Published: June 22, 2026 at 07:38PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of the stars on the original film's 25th anniversary. The Fast and the ...
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