That time he shared the cutest text from his daughter
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Vin Diesel dropped by The Tonight Show in October 2015 to promote his new movie The Last Witch Hunter, but ended up spending much of the time gushing about his 7-year-old daughter, Hania Sinclair. “[She] has an iPhone now,” he explained to host Jimmy Fallon. “And she just texted me this… ‘Hi, daddy. I love you so much, I am so proud of you. I miss you so much, I believe in you that you will make an awesome movie. I love you so much, I miss you so much.'”
That time he named his youngest daughter after Paul Walker
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Diesel lost a close friend when Paul Walker passed away in November 2013 at the age of 40. The actor decided to honor his late costar by naming his newborn baby girl Pauline in March 2015. “[Walker] was in the room,” he told the Today show when announcing his daughter’s birth. “There’s no other person that I’m thinking about as I’m cutting this umbilical cord. I knew he was there and I felt like, you know, a way to keep his memory a part of my memory, a part of my world.”
That time he did Rihanna proud
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Diesel showed there is more to him than just brawn and acting chops in February 2013, when he celebrated Valentine’s Day with one epic karaoke performance. In a video posted to his official Facebook page, the star gave a rendition of Rihanna’s hit single “Stay,” taking the track down to a fittingly low octave.
That time he shut down the body shamers
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Even Diesel has to face the trolls from time to time. The action star found himself as the subject of ridicule in October 2015 after a series of photos made their way online and seemed to show Diesel with a softer physique. Rather than taking the criticism quietly, he took to Instagram, sharing a shirtless photo of his toned stomach. “It is amazing the response from the journalists who I have been talking to for the last two days in New York. Today one wanted to see the dad bod. Haha,” he began. “I am wondering if I should show the picture… Body-shaming is always wrong! What do you think? The pic from yesterday… For those who wanted the show… For all the angels that love dad bod regardless.”
That time he broke it down to Beyonce
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Diesel doesn’t just limit himself to Rih. The Furious 7 star expanded his range with a little Beyonce in January 2014. Unprompted, Diesel shared a 7-minute video on his Facebook page of himself dancing first to Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse,” and then to Beyonce and Jay Z’s 2013 collaboration “Drunk in Love.” Wearing a pair of camo shorts and a white tank, Diesel dances alone in the black-and-white clip, yelling out lyrics and exclaiming “Oh!” at intermittent intervals.
That time he sang a tribute to Paul Walker
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Diesel shared a video from his “ever continuing process of healing” in May 2015 after Walker’s death. The latest step had the actor singing a tribute to his friend, trying his hand at Tove Lo’s 2014 song “Habits (Stay High).” The clip, posted to Facebook, shows Diesel in front of footage of himself with Walker, reading, “BROTHERHOOD.” He then dedicates the track to his “brother” Walker, and puts on a performance of the single.
That time he was a killer break dancer
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In May 2015, a priceless video resurfaced of Diesel as a young break dancer. Still sporting a full head of hair, he rocks a sweatband with a color-coordinated tracksuit and shows off some impressive moves. “This was back in the ’80s,” Diesel told Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live about the clip previously. “Yeah, I used to break-dance at Columbus Circle. I used to break-dance at Washington Square Park. It was my first gig.”
That time he got his kids in on the fun
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Diesel finally got his spot in the sun outside of the TCL Chinese Theatre in April 2015. He was joined by girlfriend Paloma Jimenez, two of the couple’s three children, and another young relative for the handprint ceremony. Daughter Hania and son Vincent got down on the ground with their dad, leaving their own mark on his lasting tribute.
That time he had big dreams
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Diesel is nothing if not confident. The actor hyped Furious 7 in a major way ahead of its April 2015 release. In a March 2015 interview with Variety, he said the movie “will probably win Best Picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don’t want to be relevant ever.” As the nominations for the 2016 Oscars won’t be announced for months, Diesel still has a chance to see his prediction come true.
That time he copped to being a big nerd
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Diesel is a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast, and not just in a secret, play-it-while-no-one-is-watching way – he is a loud and proud D&D geek. The action star regularly references the game on his Facebook page and even had a Dungeons & Dragons-themed birthday cake in July 2015. “What was fun about Vin is I didn’t realize he was such a fantasy nerd himself,” costar Elijah Wood said at the October 2015 premiere of The Last Witch Hunter. “He grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and reading Tolkien. One of our first days working together we were talking about, like, The Silmarillion. He was telling me that I should tell Peter Jackson to make The Silmarillion, and that was fascinating. In that way I suppose it’s interesting for people to know that this is almost closer to what he loves than many of his other characters.”
Those times he did good
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The millionaire actor regularly gives back. Diesel came to the rescue of tenants at New York City’s Westbeth Artists’ Housing complex in November 2012 following Hurricane Sandy. He donated enough money to supply hot lunch for the residents in the two weeks after the storm, helping those who were unable to leave their homes because of damages. Diesel also put a spin on another charity fundraiser, completing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 and using the platform to introduce the “Groot Challenge.” His own challenge asked competitors to plant a tree in honor of his Guardians of the Galaxy character.