The fast and furious interview!

Back in 2014 i sat down with the director of "The Fast & The Furious" ; Mr. Rob cohen.

4y ago
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Around 2001 something happened to the car-scene around the globe, especially in Norway and Europe. Up until then, you were the baddest dude on the street if you had a car with 3-400 hp. The "The Fast & The Furious" cam along, and everything changed. It was all about japaneese sportscars with huge turbos, NOS and "living life a quartermile at a time"... Thanks to Mr. Rob Cohen.

GM: Cohen, it's an absolute honor to meet you! The world was never the same after the first F&F!
RC: Thanks alot. It gives me joy to hear that my movie made an imact even in Norway, Scandinavia and Europe!
NGM: Did you imagine that the movie would impact the world in such a way?

RC: No. I knew we were on to something, but not anywhere near in this scale. The "suits", and Hollywood as an entity, had no faith at all that this would be a success. And no faith in me. As a matter of fact, I went through hell to get any form of economic endorsement or help to make it. The "suits" all thought this would become at best another "teen movie" for the theatres during springbreak.

NGM: Were they all that negative?
RC: You wouldn't believe it. I was contacted by this guy from a magazine that had done an article about "underground streetracing", and he had made a script from that article. The article was really good, but the script for the film was crap. I said I was willing to do a movie on the scene, but if I did - that script would have to be thrown out. It was about some dude doing streetraces to pay for his education. Yawn... I said we were going to actually physically seek out the scene, become a part of it. And thats what we did. We spent alot of time in the illegal underground scene of racing. These People got their own Language, they form a special Family and they are in a way "one with the cars" - one part human-one part machine.

NGM: That thakes us back!
RC: Well great! I mean. The scenes where we shot this kind of human arm, gearbox, engine, exhaust.. That was to portray that the people are at one with their machines. Those sequences were extremely challenging to get right. Cost us 1,5 million dollars just to get that short sequence right.. And thinking how negative the studio (Universal) was to the film, they weren't happy about that. But it was important. It would be the diffrence between a flop and a success. All year I struggled With their critisism: You'll be ruined. You know that Jerry Bruckenheimer is making a carmovie as well, right? They were talking about "Gone In 60 Seconds". Anyway. I managed to get the money I needed, and together we made history - me, you, the actors...

NGM: I was told the movie as supposed to be called something diffrent?

RC: Yes. It had a workingtitle. "Redline". But as time passed, it didn't fit right. So we changed it.
You remember the scene where Vin Diesel walks around his car, and talks about his dad? You know, the part that is the reason why he is doing what he does? The studio wanted to cut that Whole part out... They also wanted it to end diffrent. A stupid ending that would have killed any chance of making another F&F Movie. It was actually tested at a movietheatre With this ridicioulus ending to tease the audience With the fact that I had flopped. They counted on 500 People in the room, and that the film would be a catastrophy. You should have seen the Mayhem. The parkinglot burnouts and the applause. People came up to us and said that it was the best film ever made, except the lame ending. Haha. Proved the suits wrong! So I told them I would not release the Movie unless I could change the ending.
And I did..

NGM: The ending is perfect. But whats your take on the sequals?
RC:Hehehe… Well. Tough question. It's the reason I wouldn't do the second one. It should have started With a Clip from the first one, and continued With Vin Diesels whereabouts, what he was doing and how injured he was etc. The sequal didn't adress that at all. So to be honest, I did not care for the Movie. And Tokyo Drift?? WTF.

NGM: Well, you proved your point to the Studio-people and other doubters!
RC: Yup. The studio laughed to my face, and said they would be surprised to see it cash in 30 million. It did 450 million dollars.

The loss of a friend, a star and an actor

Family

Family

Paul Walker Plays the part of the policeman that goes undercover in the streetracingscene to put an end to it. Walker tragically died in a carcrash in 2013, just 40 years old.

NGM: Paul Walker died last year, rest his soul.
RC: There is no words. Paul was... He called me his movie-dad. He was an amazing person. Genuine, generous, kind, down to earth, a real carguy, completely obliviant when it came to his beautiful looks. Paul would give you his shirt off his back if you needed it. We werent collegues, or boss and employee. We were friends. Family. It broke my heart to lose him. If Paul was alive, I would do another F&F. The way he and I would do it.

NGM: Only the good die young?
RC: Well. Among the dead, there are good. There are evil that dies young too, but... It's unfair, says Cohen with teary eyes.

NGM: How was it around the set with stars like Walker and Diesel?
RC: Lovely. What you see in the film, is what it was like. Comeradery, a bond created that is never broken. No primadonnas, just fooling around, having a beautifull time. It's hard to describe it as work.

NGM: Is it possible to do another F&F- the way the first was done, with the same impact?
RC: Hahaha, well. Yes. I got the ideas. I know what it would take. But, without Paul, it would be difficult for me. But I might do another one. (Not F&F but carmovie).

NGM: Cool! Btw, how did you experience the effects of the success of the film personally?
RC: You know what!? (Hitting me on the leg) After it was showed the first time, I was in the lobby all nervous waiting for the feedback. People stormed out and were asking me for autographs! But not because I directed the film, but because I had a TINY part in it, acting the part of a Pizza delivery guy, hahaha! I even got this when I was taking my son to buy him New shoes. I asked the guy in the store if he copuld throw away my sons old shoes, and he said: Sure! But can you sign them for me? Haha! And Guess why? Because I played the pizzaguy in F&F...

NGM: Thanks for taking time out to talk to us, Mr. Cohen! And thanks for making what might be modern times most important car movie!
RC: Thanks Kaj. Please say hi to all my carfriends out there, and let them know I am forever gratefull for the support!

Legend

Legend

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