So Han is back,
and I think the fans are extremely excited about that with F9.
How did it feel to be back with the Fast and Furious family?
It was it it was a it was like a family reunion.
You know, it's like
being called and going, hey, we haven't seen you in a while.
Be great. If you could come back and go. Simple as that.
You know, it wasn't it wasn't like overly dramatic or anything.
It was like, you know,
I haven't seen a lot of these guys, you know, in many years, you know,
the cast and crew, you become super tight after all those years.
So it was just nice being invited back and seeing everybody.
So what do you have to say
to the 'Justice for Han' movement and the fans that kind of made it happen?
A big thank you.
You know, because it's it would I wouldn't be here
and it wouldn't have happened without the fans.
I mean, the great thing about, you know, Universal
and the powers that be that, you know, at the top of this franchise is like
they listen to their audience. They always have, you know.
And the fact that, you know, the Internet has helped, you know,
get that that the rally cry out there and for it actually actually happen.
And, you know, when I was on set to go, this actually happened
from my hashtag, you know, and if that's true, that's pretty amazing.
Know what a great story, right?
It's incredible.
It shows just how iconic your character is and how much it means to so many people.
Yeah. And with Han, you've played this character,
I think it's almost 20 years now. Right. Yeah.
So not many actors get the chance to play a role for that long a time span.
How does it feel to have walked in his shoes for that time?
You know, it's a as I got older, I started to embrace Han more.
You know, initially it's like, oh, it's a it's a role I did.
And it's it's I'm being associated with this character too much.
So you kind of want to distance yourself as you get older.
As I got older, I started just becoming more comfortable in my skin
and being able to grow up and then get older with the character
and to be able to revisit with a different perspective,
because, you know, life doesn't discriminate.
Doesn't matter what you do for a living.
You know, life will hit you in the face and kick you in the face hard.
And and you know what you're made of.
You know, when the crisis hits you.
And to be able to take that perspective
and bring it into a character that represents that or that,
you know , that evolution of perspective was, I think,
a wonderful opportunity as an actor.
So it's been it's been great to be able to grow up with him. Yeah.
And the Fast and Furious franchise has been so successful.
Why do you think we see this now,
the second generation of fans coming along?
You know, that's that's always been a question
I think everyone's been trying to figure out in this town
is that, you know,
I think there's been many fast and furious duplicates trying to go.
I would just put some cars in there
with some dudes with muscles and it'll work out.
But I think they forget they forget that
aside from the cars in the big action sequences, you still are.
I mean, movies still have to have something that people can identify with
and that the simple theme of family and it's been really overused, you
know, and people can kind of dismiss it after a while because you hear it so much.
But, you know, family's always been the foundation
and the center of this franchise.
You know, it's something that doesn't matter what you drive
and what you have in your garage or how much money you have,
you can identify with wanting family or having family. Right.
So I think that's something that is universal.
And I think the powers that be and the storytellers
and then have been very focused on keeping that in there a theme.
And even though,
you know, you can overlook it, it's it is the foundation of this franchise.
And you see it on the t shirts like, you know, it's a joke now. It's a meme.
I don't need friends.
I have family. I don't need staff. I have. Yeah. Yeah.
It's so funny now.
I love that. And Justin [Lin] was also saying like, you know,
you've got the family on screen, but also behind the scenes with, you know,
all of you growing up together and having a family together.
And then you've got that on with the Fast and Furious franchise.
It's quite incredible how close knit everyone is.
And it's rare to be able to go through tragedy together.
You know, and I think that's why the word family is so like dear to us now, is
because I think if it was just the movie that, you know, we met each other
and hung out for a few months and moved on and it became successful.
So, you know, but this with this franchise,
you know, everyone out there knows that, you know, we lost, you know,
such an important member of our family and
and then be able to share that and overcome that.
And then I think that's why the audience feels like, you know, the fans out there
feel like they're such a part of it because they lost, too, you know, and I
you know, and talking to you about this now, actually, I think that's why
the franchise continues to resonate with so many people, because
we all lost the family member together,
you know, and it's been a harte's the gorilla in the room
that it's been really hard to talk about, but.
And actually, this is the first time I figured it out,
I think that's what it is, right? Yeah, I think so, too.
And I also like I think it's beautiful that you still honor Paul [Walker]'s legacy.
And, you know, in the film,
even this film, there's like bits that you keep there with him.
I think that's beautiful.
And the fans I think the fans felt that, too, you know?
And that's sensitive.
It's a sensitive issue.
Yeah. Do you do that with respect? Exactly.
Without making it look like it's calculated or it's opportunistic. Right.
And that's dangerous.
That's always dangerous territory. Right. And
but it's a testament to
Paul mean what he means to to us and this franchise.
I mean, without without him, we would not be here today.
This is his franchise.
He created it. It was because of him. It's because of his heart.
And I think that's why that family theme continues,
because that's what he was about.
If you get to the people who got to know Paul, I mean, that's what he fought for.
And, you know, how he was around his family is the things.
And those are qualities that inspired me, not the movie star.
It was the brother was the son.
It was the you know, it was the father, you know, so. Yeah. Anyway.
Wow. Well, we have to wrap, but thank you.
That was actually a very beautiful interview.
I just want to say thank you for talking about that and the family side.
And I didn't expect it to take that journey.
But I think this was great
because now I can answer this question like, why does it mean to,
you know, what does it mean so much to so many people?
Yeah, it's like we we we lost someone together.
Yeah, I think that's it. Yes. Yeah, that's true.
So thank you very much for your time. Really appreciate it.
Have a beautiful day. OK, thank you so much.