Vin Diesel was "intimidated" by Dame Helen Mirren when he met her for the first time.
The 72 year-old actress approached the ‘Fast & the Furious’ star at a Golden Globes after-party, where she spoke to him about the possibility of starring in the money-spinning film franchise.
Recalling his conversation with the award-winning actress, Vin shared: "She’s very intimidating, despite her 5’2″ frame, for a tough New Yorker like myself, I was intimidated. And I don’t get intimidated easily."
The 50-year-old actor – who first appeared in the franchise in 2001 – revealed how the actress jokingly told him to get his act together and put her in the eighth instalment of the franchise, ‘The Fate of the Furious’.
She said: "I’ve been wanting to be in ‘Fast and Furious’ forever! You’re the producer, make it happen!"
Vin – who famously fell out with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson on the set of the film in 2016 – explained that working with the ‘Calendar Girls’ actress was a "magical" experience.
He told IndieWire: "The whole experience was magical for me. The experience of working with her was so magical, and so validating for me.
"I remember this being one of my favourite days in my journey. No one else in the room mattered.
"Nothing existed but this bond between her and I, and there was something really magical and really special about it. And it’s something that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life … It’s probably her which is why ‘The Fate of the Furious’ was the fastest movie in history to hit a billion dollars."
Vin Diesel admits he found Helen Mirren ‘intimidating’
