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Joining the series in F9, Vinnie Bennett and JD Pardo reveal what it’s like to juggle the inherent action of the film with a more dramatic edge.
F9: The Fast Saga brings a new dramatic edge to the long-running action series, with extended flashbacks across the film revealing more about the personal history of Dom Toretto and the tragic story of him, his father Jack, and his younger brother Jakob. Taking on these surprisingly dramatic elements are Vinnie Bennett as the young Dom and J.D. Pardo as Jack. The pair bring a unique sense of gravitas to an otherwise action-packed film.
During an exclusive interview with CBR, Vinnie Bennett and J.D. Pardo revealed what it was like to join the Fast & Furious series over two decades into its run, shared what it was like to juggle their more dramatic character beats with the action-packed aesthetic of the franchise, and revealed which actors they’d love to see join the series in future installments.
CBR: What was it like getting to join the Fast & Furious franchise, twenty years into the series?
Vinnie Bennett: It was just as intimidating as it was exciting. Of course, you’re so excited to be a part of something that you’ve been watching your whole entire life, but then… It’s a world that’s already been established. And so you just kind of hope that you’re able to just slot in there easily and do your best work. So it was good.
J.D. Pardo: Yeah, it’s a flood of emotions, man. You get excited and you feel like you won the lotto and then you’re hit with this overwhelming sense of responsibility to the fans and then you just want to do it justice. So then you put all that pressure on yourself and then it’s a ride, it’s a roller coaster ride, but obviously a beautiful one.
The Fast & Furious franchise isn’t necessarily known for its dramatic elements. However, both of you really got to play into that side of the story. You’re still in high-stakes races and witnessing explosions, but there’s a bit more time afforded the drama of the situation. What was that like to juggle that as performers?
Pardo: For me what it did was it made that dialogue that much more important. Usually, I feel when I get a script or I’m going to do a scene, you soak in the words, but then it’s about behavior and your intention and what’s not being said. But this was so important. These words were being passed on from father to son. I really got into the words. “Why is he saying this word? What does that mean?” And then I wanted to make sure that I really hit those beats to show that on one end. Jack is reprimanding his boy a bit. Like, “Hey quit being a knucklehead. Why are you trying to do that?” But then bringing them back to the lesson and, “What do you see out there?” He’s telling him what he sees and there’s this overwhelming sense of pride that Jack now has.
Bennett: Yeah, totally. I’ll just piggyback off that by [saying] all of these films are very action-based. Once I read the script, I realized that we were almost shooting a completely separate kind of film alongside the… [Director Justin Lin] had already finished the present-day storyline and then production moved over to LA to finish off all of the flashback stuff. But yeah, it felt like its own kind of thing. I was really grateful that there was that dramatic element that was able to be kind of woven into this new one.
What was the process like of getting into the mind and soul of a young Dom Toretto?
Bennett: Well, that was the fun in it. I knew who he is, but to kind of really have fun and creating who he was and what he cared about, and where his head was as a teenager. Obviously, it wasn’t about launching his friends off to space at that point. For me, it was a fun, creative process to kind of have that freedom to kind of choose what he was like as a younger man.
This series has had so many big names attached. Now that you’re a part of the F&F family, are there any other performers you’d love to see join the series?
Bennett: I can see Mike Tyson in here.
Pardo: Bill Murray.
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