Vin Diesel calls Helen Mirren "family' in heartfelt post

Washington [US], May 29 (ANI): For Vin Diesel, it's all about family, and that includes Helen Mirren. The Fast and Furious actor, 57, shared a heartfelt post as he raved about his friendship with the Academy Award winner.
"Over the weekend, I heard from one of my favourite people on the planet," Diesel wrote in his caption on his Instagram handle.. "Helen Mirren... that Auntie you love to talk to, who has seen everything and always has an outlook on life based on experience, wisdom and compassion," reported People.
Diesel, who first joined forces with Mirren, 79, in 2017's The Fate of the Furious before her later appearances in three other Fast-adjacent films, wrote that it was "interesting how fitting the character she portrays in our saga is." In the franchise, Mirren plays Magdalene "Queenie" Shaw, the Shaw family matriarch. She most recently portrayed the character in 2023's Fast X.
"We wanted a European matriarch to expand our universe. Someone uniquely independent and raw, who witnessed brotherhood and its complexities as the mother of the Shaw brothers," Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto in the series, wrote. "Her synchronicity with the Dom character is something the audience gravitates to time and time again. It was her after all who came up with the line 'you're my favorite Yankee.' Haha."
"I am blessed that she is a part of our mythology... but even more grateful that she is a part of my family off screen," Diesel concluded. "All love," as per the outlet.
In his carousel post, the Fast actor shared snaps of himself and Mirren through the years, filming scenes for the franchise and laughing with each other during promotional events. He closed the post with an image of the pair walking together, arm in arm, reported People.
Mirren previously shared in 2022 that she "begged" Diesel to get her involved in the franchise when they were first introduced at a function years before.
"And I was shameless: 'Oh God, I'd just love to be in one of your movies! Please let me be in it.' And then Vin, with that beautiful, deep voice of his, said: 'I'll see what I can do.' And he did it for me," Mirren said, adding that the actor "found this great little role for me, which was perfect," reported People. (ANI)