News culture “I don’t want it” Jean-Claude Van Damme could have played in the Fast and Furious saga, but the Fast & Furious actor was totally against it!
Published on 10/26/2024 at 5:30 p.m.
Share :
While he is recognized for his qualities as an actor in action films, Jean-Claude Van Damme was rejected for the casting of Fast and Furious. A surprising decision when we know that the Belgian actor has already starred in a blockbuster bringing together big names in action cinema.
Since the 80s, Jean-Claude Van Damme has proven himself to be one of the great names in action cinema. To be more precise, it was especially with Bloodsport in 1988 that he became known to the general public since he played the title role playing Frank Dux. As a reminder, this martial arts film that looks like Street Fighter 2 takes us through a secret tournament in Hong Kong. From there, the Belgian actor had demonstrated that he was capable of being the lead in an action film, which opened doors for him for the rest of his career. However, there is one that seems closed for good, that of the Fast and Furious saga.
Take a Netflix subscription card on Micromania to see Fast and Furious
“No, I don’t want him.”
Almost exactly a year ago, Jean-Claude Van Damme gave an interview to the newspaper The Telegraph. In this long interview, he looks back on his entire career, not hesitating to talk about his failures or his addiction, and does not fail to relate numerous anecdotes. For example, we learn that he was offered $20 million to face Steven Seagal in Las Vegas, but that the latter ended up refusing. In the process, he takes the opportunity to emphasize that his opponent would have had no chance against him. But yet, this is not the only anecdote that interests us here.
A little further, the Belgian actor now aged 64 tells us that the producers of Fast and Furious wanted him to participate in one of the films, but that Vin Diesel, star of the franchise, did not want him. As a result, things are not done. It must be said that since the beginning, and especially since the death of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel has taken an increasingly important place in the saga, to the point of having a say in the script of the films and the casting. And obviously, when he doesn't like it, he makes it known and his wishes are implemented. In the case of Jean-Claude Van Damme, we do not know what the reason behind this refusal is, or even in which episode he could have participated.
JCVD, a big regular at gatherings
Yet, it would not have been the first time that Jean-Claude Van Damme participates in a blockbuster which brings together many stars of action cinema. We remember very well that in 2012, we found him in the casting of Expendables 2 and not in just any role since he played the antagonist of this episode, with the subtle name of “Jean Vilain”. Clearly, we feel that the Belgian actor had fun with this role, the aim of which was to bring together all the big names in action films from the 80s and 90s in the same feature film. A desire that we also find at Fast and Furious with younger and contemporary actors. It is therefore a missed opportunity because Jean-Claude Van Damme could have bridged the gap between the two.
This page contains affiliate links to certain products that JV has selected for you. Each purchase you make by clicking on one of these links will not cost you more, but the e-merchant will pay us a commission. The prices indicated in the article are those offered by the merchant sites at the time of publication of the article and these prices are likely to vary at the sole discretion of the merchant site without JV being informed.
Learn more.
