Where The Fast and the Furious cast are now 25 years after its launch – from Fyre Festival scandal to £200k bag ‘scam’

IT’S been 25 years since The Fast and the Furious was released, marking the beginning of one of the world’s favourite and longest standing movie franchises. The gang last hit our screens in 2023 with Fast X and the much-anticipated 11th (and final) movie, Fast Forever, is now slated for release in March 2028 after a series of set-backs. The first Fast and Furious movie came out in 2001, and there have so far been 10 main movies in the franchise Credit: Alamy From jail time to a tragic death and a series of scandals, here’s what the cast have faced since finding fame… Paul Walker (Brian O’Conner) An original and integral cast member playing undercover cop turned street racer Brian, Paul Walker was just 40 when he died in a car accident midway through filming for Furious 7 in November 2013. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! The actor had been at a charity fundraiser for Reach Out Worldwide at a custom car shop in California when he hopped into the passenger seat of a red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT and was overheard saying “hey, let’s go for a ride”. Paul Walker tragically passed away in 2013 midway through filming Furious 7 His friend Roger Rodas, a professional race car driver, was 38 when he crashed into a concrete lamp post and a tree at 94mph. The car caught fire, killing them both. More on Fast and the Furious Following Paul’s death, the under-production film wasn’t released until 2015. His brother Caleb stood in as a body double and Paul’s face was added using CGI, so he could be given a fitting exit to the much-loved movies. The amended final scene showed Brian (Paul) and Dom (Vin Diesel) driving together down a coastal motorway, before splitting and going down different roads. “We’ve felt the loss,” Vin Diesel told ET in 2016. “The last three years have been some of the hardest of my life because of losing my brother like that.” Fast & Furious has continued to pay tribute to him in the years that followed. Most read in Fabulous Paul’s daughter, Meadow, who was his only child and just 15 when her father tragically died, made a cameo in Fast X and there’s been hints Brian will return in some form for Fast Forever. Vin Diesel walked Paul’s daughter Meadow, 27, down the aisle when she got married in the Dominican Republic in 2021, as he is also her godfather. The marriage lasted two years and Meadow was formally divorced in June 2024. Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Ortiz) Michelle Rodriguez, who had a fling with Vin Diesel, has had a few run-ins with the law Having played Dom’s love interest since the very first film, Michelle, 48, also briefly dated Vin Diesel in real life. Her busy acting career includes roles in Lost (2005-2010), Avatar (2009) and S.W.A.T (2003). Off-screen, she’s had a few brushes with the law. In 2004, she pleaded no contest to driving under the influence, driving with a suspended licence and a hit-and-run. In 2006, she paid a $500 fine and spent five days in jail for driving over the drinking limit in Hawaii, where she was filming Lost. In 2007, the star was sentenced to 180 days in a Los Angeles jail for violating her probation on the previous drink-driving charge – and lying about having completed her community service. She was released after 18 days due to overcrowding, and went on to successfully complete her community service. In 2014 she dated supermodel Cara Delevingne, after identifying as bisexual in various interviews. She was also linked to Zac Efron. Jordana Brewster (Mia Loretto) Jordana Brewster underwent brain surgery, while awake, in 2020 Jordana, now 46, famously didn’t even have a driver’s license when she was cast in The Fast and the Furious, taking lessons during filming. As Dom’s sister and Brian’s love interest / mother of his two children, she has been integral to the plot ever since.She was frequently featured in Maxim’s ‘sexiest women in the world’ list during the noughties and early 2010s and posed nude for Allure magazine in 2015. She also starred in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006) and TV reboots of Dallas (2012-2014) and Lethal Weapon (2016-2018). Jordana has been twice-married and has two sons, born via surrogacy. She dated Mark Wahlberg for three years, from 1998. After suffering seizures and being diagnosed with a cavernous malformation (CVM – a fragile cluster of blood vessels in the brain) aged 28, she had brain surgery, while awake, in 2020. She is now seizure-free, but was advised against carrying her own children because of the health condition. Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto) Vin Diesel went through a lawsuit with his former assistantCredit: Refer to source Real name Mark Sinclear Vincent, he is best known for starring roles in action series Fast & Furious, XXX and The Avengers. The 59-year-old has two daughters and a son with his Mexican model wife Paloma Jimenez. In 2023, his former assistant Asta Jonasson sued Vin Diesel for sexual battery and retaliation – claiming that during the filming of Fast Five in 2010, he assaulted her in an Atlanta hotel room before firing her. The lawsuit claimed: “It was clear to her that she was being fired because she was no longer useful – Vin Diesel had used her to fulfill his sexual desires and she had resisted his sexual assaults”. Vin Diesel has always denied the claims and they were thrown out by an LA judge in November, who said California law could not be applied to an offence alleged to have taken place in Georgia. Ja Rule (Edwin) Ja Rule pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a weapon Credit: Alamy/Rex Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, appeared in the original Fast & Furious film, but he was already a household name. His hit tunes from 2001 alone include Always on Time, featuring Ashanti, Livin’ It Up, featuring Case and a sample of Stevie Wonder’s Do I Do, and J-Lo’s I’m Real remix. The rapper has sold over 30 million records worldwide but his career has been plagued by a long-standing diss feud with 50 Cent, which has run since 2000 and also involved Eminem at times. A combination of the feud and money laundering accusations against Ja Rule’s supergroup Murder Inc. (which Jay-Z was also a member of) is thought to have dismantled Ja Rule’s credibility and ultimately his career. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a weapon, following a 2007 arrest alongside Lil Wayne. Six months later, he was further sentenced for failing to pay $1.1 million in taxes. He served the sentences concurrently and was released in May 2013, after two years in jail. In 2017, Ja Rule faced several lawsuits from ticket holders and investors, related to him co-founding the infamous Fyre Festival. He was later cleared of wrongdoing, while con artist Billy McFarland was jailed for fraud. Ja Rule appeared in only one Fast & Furious film, and was reported to have been paid just $15,000, turning down $500,000 for a more prominent role in the sequel. He’s said he has no regrets over the decision, despite the franchise’s notable success. Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce) Tyrese Gibson has had a number of legal disputes over the years Tyrese, now 47, joined 2 Fast 2 Furious and briefly replaced Vin Diesel as co-lead alongside Walker, returning to the franchise for Fast Five and every movie since. As an R&B artist, he has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and sold 4 million records in the US. He also had a recurring part in the Transformers film series as Sergeant Robert Epps (2007-2011). Tyrese has two daughters with his ex-wives Norma Mitchell and Samantha Lee. He was arrested in 2024 for failing to pay child support to Samantha, and was ordered to pay her $73,500 to avoid jail time. In October last year, he was issued an arrest warrant for an animal cruelty charge, after his four cane corso dogs reportedly killed a neighbour’s spaniel. Tyrese handed himself in and was released after paying a $20,000 bail. His legal team said he accepted responsibility, offered condolences to the neighbour and had the dogs rehomed. Ludacris (Tej Parker) Ludacris has won numerous awards since starring on the show and founded a charitable foundation Christopher Brian Bridges, now 48, achieved mainstream fame under his stage name Ludacris in the early noughties – bagging three Grammy Awards, a Critics’ Choice Award and an MTV Video Music Award. His biggest hits include Stand Up, Move Bitch, Money Maker (featuring Pharell) and his feature on Justin Bieber’s Baby. Alongside Tyrese, he starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Fast Five and every movie since as mechanic Tej Parker. It was his first major acting gig, but he has also won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his part in 2004 movie Crash. He has four daughters and founded the Ludacris Foundation in 2002, helping inspire youths through education and memorable experiences. Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs) The Rock has established himself as one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood Once best known as WWE wrestler The Rock, Dwayne Johnson’s acting credits now include Jumanji, Moana and San Andreas, but Fast Five was his first box office success. The 54-year-old appeared in the sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth movies, with appearances ranging from major parts to a brief cameo in the most recent film. He is expected to return for the finale. Johnson’s films grossed $10.6 billion in the 2010s, making him the decade’s highest-grossing actor outside the Marvel universe. He has three daughters and his eldest, Simone, now 24, followed in her dad’s footsteps as a pro WWE wrestler known as Ava Raine. Jason Statham (Owen Shaw) Jason Statham has racked up numerous film credits over the years Brit heartthrob Jason has appeared in the Fast franchise for a decade from 2013 to 2023, playing bad guy Owen Shaw. Born in Derbyshire, he became famous through Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). The 59-year-old has a son and a daughter with model Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, 39, who he’s been with since 2010 and is engaged to. The high-profile couple split their time between Hollywood, London and the British seaside, with mansions in Cornwall and a new £20million pad on the South Coast. Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey) Nathalie Emmanuel went on to star in Game of Thrones Her acting career began as Sasha Valentine in UK soap Hollyoaks, but the 37-year-old set the States in her sights. Success in Game of Thrones, Blade Runner and Fast & Furious (films seven to 10) followed. Nathalie has been named in FHM’s ‘sexiest woman of the year’ list and is the partner of Spooks and Homeland actor Alex Lanipekun. Rick Yune (Johnny Tran) Rick June went through an alleged £200,000 bag ‘scam’Credit: Refer to source Rick Yune played a menacing Vietnamese gang leader in the original Fast & Furious, the franchise’s first big villain. The 54-year-old went on to play the bad guy in a number of movies including 2002’s Die Another Day, starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen, alongside Gerald Butler. In 2011, he was sued by a London-based husband and wife who claimed they had a deal with the actor to buy 10 Hermes Birkin bags. According to TMZ, the couple said they handed over $198,000 for eight bags with the promise to pay another $95,000 for two additional bags upon delivery, but never got the bags or a refund. Rick denied the claims, with a rep at the time saying: “It’s a shame someone is trying to tarnish his name and he has fallen victim to a scam.” Ted Levine (Sergeant Tanner) Ted Levine had a public dispute with his family Ted, 69, starred in the original Fast & Furious movie as Paul Walker’s police superior, as well as The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Shutter Island (2010) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). In 2014, TMZ revealed he was embroiled in a legal battle with his family, who accused him of being a “sadistic and cruel bully”. His brothers and sister alleged that he forced them to auction off their family’s BBQ restaurant for a fraction of its actual value and left them in financial ruin. He most recently starred in the Netflix horror series Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, which was released earlier this year. Comment now