Vin Diesel’s children call The Rock "Uncle Dwayne".
Although there have been reports that Vin, 49, and his ‘Fate of the Furious’ co-star – whose real name is Dwayne Johnson – are bitter enemies off-screen, Vin has insisted that the pair are close and share a mutual respect.
He told USA Today: "I don’t think the world really knows how close we are, in a weird way. I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don’t think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, he’s Uncle Dwayne.
"I protect the franchise. I protect everybody including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he’ll ever know. And it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that’s me."
Vin admitted the pair have had their differences in the past but insisted that they always work things out.
He said: "Always, always, always. I’m always rooting for Dwayne. I’m the first multicultural megastar in Hollywood. They didn’t exist. To see another multicultural star come up is something I am very proud of. I’m always rooting Dwayne on.
"It’s not always easy being an alpha. And it’s two alphas. Being an alpha is sometimes a pain in the butt."
Allegations of a feud between The Rock, 44, and Vin first emerged last year after the former wrestler took to social media to slam some unnamed ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise co-stars.
In his rant, The Rock praised his female co-stars in the film, Charlize Theron, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez, but admitted it was a "different story" working with the guys.
He wrote: "This is my final week of shooting Fast & Furious 8. There’s no other franchise that gets my blood boiling more than this one.
"An incredible hard working crew. Universal Studios Entertainment has been great partners as well. My female co-stars are always amazing and I love ’em. My male co-stars however are a different story.
"Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t. The ones that don’t are too chicken s**t to do anything about it anyway. Candy asses.(sic)"
Vin Diesel: ‘The Rock feud was blown out of proportion’
