Paul Walter Hauser isn’t afraid to call out his fellow thespians. In fact, he seems to really enjoy it.
The Emmy award-winning actor demonstrated this during a press junket for Inside Out 2, in which he voices the character of Embarrassment. During his sit down with Cinemablend, Hauser was compared to action star Vin Diesel, who voiced Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Although some might’ve welcomed the comparison, Hauser made it clear he rejected any association with the Fast & Furious star.
“Please don’t say that. I like to think I am on time and approachable,” Hauser said after being compared to Diesel. “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.”
Although he’s yet to work with Hauser on a project, Diesel has gained a reputation for difficult on-set behavior. Back in 2016, sources claimed that the actor was repeatedly late to the Fast 8 set, so much so that it led to a rift between him and Dwayne Johnson.
“There were several times Vin was late to set and it really started pissing Dwayne and other cast and crew off,” and inside told Entertainment Tonight. “Dwayne was always on time for shooting. It was Vin who would often show up when he felt like showing up. Dwayne is the complete opposite. At the end of production Dwayne was really over Vin’s bulls**t. As far as I know, they haven’t spoken since they left set.”
Several years later, former Fast director Justin Lin confirmed he was leaving the franchise after a “major disagreement” with Diesel, who also served as a producer. A Universal spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter that Lin’s creative differences were with the studio and “not with fellow producers, cast or crew”; however, insiders claimed that the filmmaker finally reached his breaking point during a heated meeting in which Diesel presented “new notes” on Fast 10.
“Justin finally had enough and said, ‘This movie is not worth my mental health,’” the source told THR.
In 2023, a woman identified as Asta Jonasson sued Diesel for sexual battery. The plaintiff accused the actor of molesting her when she was working as his assistant. The alleged incident occurred inside a hotel room in 2010, when Diesel was filming Fast Five. The actor and his team denied the allegations in a statement to People magazine.
“Let me be very clear: Vin Diesel categorically denies this claim in its entirety,” Diesel’s attorney Bryan Freedman said. “This is the first he has ever heard about this more than 13-year-old claim made by a purportedly nine-day employee. There is clear evidence which completely refutes these outlandish allegations.”
