Vin Diesel’s first attempt at a Hollywood career failed because he said he was overcompensating for his size.
“It just didn’t happen that first time, and that difficulty helped shape me, too,” he told Men’s Health. “Back then, I think I was trying to overcompensate for being so big and for having this darkness from being a bouncer.
Things that were probably getting in the way of me making it as an actor at the time – and I think that pushed me toward writing and directing.”
While he can now enjoy his star status, the 49-year-old is also keen not to over share when it comes to his personal life.
“It’s a social media age and I want to be smart about connecting with my fans, my people,” he explained. “But the truth is I’m an old-school Hollywood guy – like Harrison Ford or George Clooney or even (Marlon) Brando – who doesn’t want my private life out there in certain ways.
I think it’s better when people go to see my movies and that there’s some sense of mystery about who I am. Maybe there’s a contradiction there – I’m still figuring it out.”