Fast X raised the stakes for the Fast & Furious franchise and director Louis Leterrier recently dished on a major character death from the latest film and how he pitched the actor to agree to it.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Fast X
During the third-act climax of Fast X, Jakob Toretto (John Cena) sacrifices himself after saving Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) — the son of his brother Dom (Vin Diesel). He spent the rest of the film going on a road trip with Brian, attempting to reconnect him with his father. When the crew is in desperate need of a distraction, Jakob sacrifices himself.
Speaking to Collider, Leterrier talked about pitching this to Cena. “I said to John, ‘You will have to sacrifice yourself, to give the ultimate gift to your brother to save his son.' I pitched him between two takes as I'm over there resetting the camera. I pitched him this thing and then he loved it. And that literally changed his performance because he understood where he was going. ‘I'm going to give so much love so then the sacrifice really hurts.' And it really does hurt,” he said.
Granted, as we've learned in these films — specifically F9 and Fast X — nobody is really dead. We also never saw Jakob's body in the wreckage. Sure, his car was on fire, but Han suffered a similar fate, and look at him now. John Cena could very well show up in the next installment and no one would bat an eye.
John Cena has been a rising star in the acting world after his run in the WWE. He'll appear in Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Coyote vs. Acme, and Honeymoon Friends.
Fast X is in theaters now.
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