The Rock Responds To Vin Diesel’s Claim That He Used ‘Tough Love’ To Make The Rock A Better Actor: ‘I Laughed And I Laughed Hard’

As F9 prepared to rev into theaters in June, Vin Diesel gave an interview with Men’s Health where he essentially claimed that his infamous feud with The Rock was the result of his “tough love” approach to coaxing a better performance out of his Fast and Furious co-star. Considering Diesel’s remarks are almost a month old, it seemed like The Rock was going to just let that one go. Not so much.

While promoting the upcoming release of Jungle Cruise, The Rock responded to Diesel’s comments, and in the process, appears to be completely washing his hands of the Fast and Furious franchise. Also, Emily Blunt jumped in with a scathing burn, as she does. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

When asked about Diesel’s comments, Johnson says, “I laughed and I laughed hard. I think everyone had a laugh at that. And I’ll leave it at that. And that I’ve wished them well. I wish them well on Fast 9. And I wish them the best of luck on Fast 10 and Fast 11and the rest of the Fast & Furious movies they do that will be without me.” Blunt can’t resist extending the moment. “Just thank God he was there,” she says of Diesel. “Thank God. He carried you through that.” “Felliniesque,” Johnson says.

Here’s what Diesel said back in June about the feud, which started when The Rock, without naming names, essentially accused Diesel of being an unprofessional “candyass” who did not respect the cast and crew’s time.

“Hobbs hits you like a ton of bricks. That’s something that I’m proud of, that aesthetic. That took a lot of work,” Diesel told Men’s Health. “We had to get there and sometimes, at that time, I could give a lot of tough love. Not Felliniesque, but I would do anything I’d have to do in order to get performances in anything I’m producing.”

Clearly, The Rock sees things very differently, and from the sound of it, he’s done working with the “family.”