Vin Diesel Wasn't The Only Fast And Furious Actor To Turn Down 2 Fast 2 Furious
Following the surprising success of 2001's "The Fast and the Furious," the world assumed Vin Diesel would return for the inevitable sequel. After all, he was the clear standout performer in that first film, mesmerizing audiences with his undeniable command of the screen and proving yet again that he was one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood.
But Diesel reportedly turned down a $20 million-plus payday to appear in 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious," leaving the studio no choice but to pivot to a story centering on Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner. "I always get afraid of being pigeonholed," Diesel told The L.A. Times. "The real reason why I didn't return to the characters is the scripts hadn't been right. The characters haven't been right. It's not like I ever said I wouldn't be there." Indeed, he eventually returned for a quick cameo at the end of "The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift," and then took command of the film series in a huge way with 2009's "Fast & Furious," never again relinquishing control and helping the franchise become one of the biggest in history.
But Diesel wasn't the only one who turned down the opportunity to appear in "2 Fast 2 Furious." A supporting player from the original film had the chance to graduate to a major role in the sequel, but he blew it, changing the trajectory of his career and forever altering the path of the "Fast and Furious" franchise in the process.
Ja Rule walked away from the sequel
In the first film, rapper Ja Rule played a character named Edwin who participates in the opening race with Brian and Dom. If you know these movies well, you'll recall that before the race, a young woman named Monica comes up to Edwin and promises him a night with her whether he wins or loses — and if he wins, she says he'll get a threesome with her and one of her friends.
Naturally, Edwin loses in spectacular fashion, yelling out "Monica!" in agony as he realizes he's doomed for last place. After his sub-par performance in the race, Monica wants nothing to do with him.
According to Grantland, Edwin was supposed to get a significantly larger role in "2 Fast 2 Furious." Though Ja Rule said in a 2002 interview that he turned the movie down because he "just felt it wasn't the best move for me as far as what I want to do in Hollywood right now." Director John Singleton, who helmed "2 Fast 2 Furious," had the real story:
"Ja got too big for himself. He turned it down. He turned down a half a million dollars. He got 15 grand to be in the first movie. He was really big at that time. I guess Murder Inc. was throwing out hits and were making money hand over foot. He was acting like he was too big to be in the sequel. He wouldn't return calls. I went to the studio to go see him — that's just my mantra, I deal with a lot of music people. He was kinda playing me to the side and I was like, 'What? What is this s***?'"
What could have been
After essentially being iced out by Ja Rule, Singleton called another hot rapper of the moment.
"I called Ludacris. I said, 'Hey, Luda, I haven't met you before, but I like what you're doing right now.' Luda was all humble, excited to meet me. I said, 'I'm doing this movie and I'm wondering if you want to be a part of it.' He goes, 'What? Yeah! Anything you do I want to be a part of.' That's how Ludacris got in '2 Fast 2 Furious,' and the rest is history."
History, indeed. Ja Rule could have slipped into the Tej slot and ended up in at least six more movies over the years. (Remember when Tej was strictly a car guy before he magically became one of the best hackers the world has ever known? God, I love these movies.) But if that happened, audiences would have been robbed of seeing the chemistry between Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, which admittedly reached its peak in "Fast Five" and has now become so unfunny that it's actually kinda funny again. Still, those goobers are an essential element of these films, which are barely hanging on after Walker's untimely death in 2013. If any other relationship or dynamic is altered, perhaps this entire franchise will come crashing down like the Toretto home after it was blown to smithereens by Jason Statham's character.
Sounds like that ménage à trois with Monica wasn't the only thing Ja Rule missed out on. But hey, given how frequently the "Fast and Furious" films love bringing back familiar faces, I wouldn't be surprised to see Edwin resurface to help Dominic Toretto and his #family before the final credits roll in the last "Fast" film.