# Why people hate Vin Diesel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089 "2004-08-29T14:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/21 "2004-08-29T21:54:49Z")
I hate him because he borrowed my Li’l Smokey outdoor grill, and has yet to return it. Plus he called my sister a cow and kicked my dog. What a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/22 "2004-08-29T22:03:10Z")
I don’t like The Rock, or Steven Seagull, but I really like Vin Diesel. I also think Troy would be a much better movie with Vin Diesel as Achilles. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/23 "2004-08-29T22:05:50Z")
> [@Johnny Bravo](#): > > I also recently found out that he voices my namesake on Cartoon Network. That’s approximately 50 gazillion points in his favor right there. [Are you sure about that?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118360/) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/24 "2004-08-30T01:13:56Z")
The only Vin Diesel movie I’ve ever seen is **The Iron Giant.** Based on that data point, I have to say he’s a great actor. 🙂 (And hey, the guy plays _Dungeons & Dragons,_ doesn’t that count for anything?) ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/25 "2004-08-30T04:26:23Z")
Another factor is _greed_. He reportedly wanted $25 million for 2 Fast 2 Furious. Usually, you have to be extraordinarily successful and a guaranteed moneymaker a la Arnold Schwarzenegger before you can even sniff that kind of cash. Jim Carrey at his absolute peak never pulled in that much. Of course, Universal refused, and they had to change the premise of the entire movie as a result (and did a good job, IMHO). Too much, too soon, for someone who really isn’t that great an actor. Yeah, I can see how that’d breed resentment. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/26 "2004-08-30T04:30:18Z")
I don’t hate Diesel, to me he is just the big guy in the action movies right now. Personally, I think he would make a better villain than hero, but that’s just opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/27 "2004-08-30T04:50:15Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Another factor is _greed_. He reportedly wanted $25 million for 2 Fast 2 Furious. Usually, you have to be extraordinarily successful and a guaranteed moneymaker a la Arnold Schwarzenegger before you can even sniff that kind of cash. Jim Carrey at his absolute peak never pulled in that much. Of course, Universal refused, and they had to change the premise of the entire movie as a result (and did a good job, IMHO). Maybe he just didn’t want to be typecast into that role. He would have been willing to do that for $25,000,000, though (or maybe he just wanted to be nice with the studio and not burn any bridges, and set a price high enough that they would be likely to refuse but not an intentionally ridiculous one.) ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/28 "2004-08-30T04:52:54Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > …Of course, Universal refused, and they had to change the premise of [2 Fast 2 Furious] as a result (and did a good job, IMHO)… You’re joking, right? That had to have been one of the most horrible movies I have ever seen and this is coming from someone who didn’t mind _xXx_ when I finally gave it a shot. And to stay on topic, I find Diesel inoffensive for the most part. He’s no worse than any other actor of similar credentials and is a hell of a lot better than a good portion of them. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/29 "2004-08-30T05:21:11Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > You’re joking, right? That had to have been one of the most horrible movies I have ever seen and this is coming from someone who didn’t mind _xXx_ when I finally gave it a shot. Yeah, I was wondering if DKW had been sniffing a little too much nitrous oxide when he wrote that. _2Fast 2Furious_ was one stooooopid movie. Cole Hauser (soon to be in _Paparazzi_, which I really want to see) and Eva (yowsa!) Mendes were bright spots, though. Beyond those actors, there was exactly one interesting (not necessarily _good_, mind you) scene in that crapfest: the tag-team drag race between O’Conner/Pearce and those guys driving the (I think) Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro. When the neon-laden rice burners fall behind, the Camaro driver says, derisively, “Yeah, you guys can’t beat good ol’ American muscle”. At that moment, I had a flash of insight, the only intellectual response the film stimulated in me: you _can’t_ beat muscle; the nuts and bolts of moviemaking. No matter how much glitzy crap you throw at an audience, your picture ain’t going nowhere without solid acting, writing and direction, and this film had zero, zilch and bupkus. Cosmic, man. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/30 "2004-08-30T05:53:36Z")
Because he’s the latest “movie star” that the hollywood publicity machine is trying to shove down our throats, regardless of whether we actually like to watch him on screen or not. When it becomes too obvious that someone’s being heavily promoted and publicized, the public will react negatively. See “Lopez, Jennifer” for the most egregious example. Because his fake name is “Vin Diesel.” Diesel?! Uh, could it be more obvious what image you’re going for? I imagine him picking his stage name: “What about Joe Propane?” “Too generic.” “Pete Petrol?” “People will thing you’re British.” “Ed Unleaded!” “Maybe…” “Vin Diesel?” "It’s perfect! p.s. My money’s on The Rock to take over the role of the King of Action Movies. Did you see him host SNL? Dude’s really multi-talented. And looks great in a tight white T-shirt. Now if only he didn’t have that disturbing resemblance to Rob Schneider… ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/31 "2004-08-30T06:10:28Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > (And hey, the guy plays _Dungeons & Dragons,_ doesn’t that count for anything?) To be honest, my estimation of him went up after I learned this. He went from ‘dumb guy making dumb movies’ to ‘maybe not-so-dumb guy in dumb movies.’ After all, would ‘xXx’ been more intelligent with say, John Travolta in the lead role? ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/32 "2004-08-30T06:28:49Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > p.s. My money’s on The Rock to take over the role of the King of Action Movies. Did you see him host SNL? Dude’s really multi-talented. And looks great in a tight white T-shirt. Now if only he didn’t have that disturbing resemblance to Rob Schneider… Hah! Just noticed that! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/33 "2004-08-30T06:43:41Z")
> [@Johnny Bravo](#): > > Right now he and Dwayne Johnson are the frontrunners for the ‘generic muscled action star hero’ title. Personally, I hope The Rock gets it. He’s got that humor element going for him, much better facial expressions, and an actual range of emotion. I think the only Rock movie I’ve seen is The Mummy Returns, which was (and I’m being nice here) absolutely putrid. Still, based on having seen him on SNL and a few talk shows, I do sort of like him. He can be funny and he does have some personality. If he ever makes something that looks like a good movie I’d probably see it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/34 "2004-08-30T07:01:16Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think the only Rock movie I’ve seen is The Mummy Returns, which was (and I’m being nice here) absolutely putrid. The Rock’s appearance in that movie was limited to a claymation monster based on his character from _The Scorpion King_. _The Mummy Returns_ was dumb (the kid was so annoying, I kept hoping “Adebesi” would get all _Oz_ on his ass, and not in a good way) but was partly redeemed by the flashback gladiatrix fights between the scantily-clad female leads. Yowza. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/35 "2004-08-30T07:42:57Z")
My feeling is, if Steven Spielberg [has you written into one of his most acclaimed movies based solely on your body of work,](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/trivia) you gotta have SOMETHING going on. ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/36 "2004-08-30T08:09:40Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > He’s my favorite actor. I really liked him in Pitch Black and Cronicles of Riddick. He always plays such kick-ass characters. But it seems that I am the only one who likes him. All of my friends hate him. They see him as a all muscle-no brain person. Why? Hate him??? No way I loved “Chronicles of Riddick” and I was jealous of his voice. I got no problem with the man. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/37 "2004-08-30T11:41:33Z")
I can’t stand him because he plays big buff roles, like in xXx, and he just comes off as a soft cock. Now Eric Bana, you can _feel_ the staunchness. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/38 "2004-08-30T12:41:37Z")
I’m not a big Vin Diesel fan. I thought he was okay in the few movies of his I’ve seen. Not an actor of great range, but a perfectly serviceable action star. But to the OP… look, it goes without saying that there are people out there who hate ANY celebrity you’d care to name. I mean, I’ve never given Jeff Daniels a second thought in my life, but I have no doubt that If I started a thread titled, “Who Thinks Jeff Daniels Is the Antichrist?”, I’d gets dozens of posts saying “Jeff Daniels is a no-talent asshole,” and “Jeff Daniels makes me puke.” Every celebrity is despised by SOMEBODY, and Vin Diesel is no exception. That said, is he more hated than any other actor or comparable stature? I don’t see it. Incidentally, while I agree that “Vin Diesel” is a silly name, remember that he adopted the moniker back when he was working as a nightclub bouncer. In a job like that, you’re sort of EXPECTED to have a macho name! ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/39 "2004-08-30T12:47:15Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > I can’t stand him because he plays big buff roles, like in xXx, and he just comes off as a soft cock. > Now Eric Bana, you can _feel_ the staunchness. 'Specially when he’s Poita! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089/40 "2004-08-30T17:06:41Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > My feeling is, if Steven Spielberg [has you written into one of his most acclaimed movies based solely on your body of work,](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/trivia) you gotta have SOMETHING going on. Caparzo was shot by a Nazi sniper. Maybe he was trying to tell Diesel something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-people-hate-vin-diesel/262089.md?page=3)