Jordana Brewster Reveals How ‘Private’ Paul Walker Would React When Fans Called Him His “Fast & Furious ”Character’s Name

Lily BrownMon, August 24, 2026 at 8:20 PM UTC

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Jordana Brewster and Paul Walker in ‘Fast Five’Credit: Jaimie Trueblood/Universal -

Jordana Brewster and Vin Diesel reflected on Paul Walker’s deep connection to his Fast & Furious character, Brian O’Conner

Brewster said that Walker embraced fans who called him Brian, seeing the character as an extension of himself and his legacy

The Fast and the Furious is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special release featuring cast tributes to Walker, who died at age 40 in November 2013

As the Fast & Furious franchise looks ahead to its final installment, Jordana Brewster is looking back at the movie that started it all.

The Fast & Furious family has spent more than two decades racing and fighting as a team. But for the actress, 46, one member will always hold a particularly special place in the franchise — Paul Walker.

In an exclusive clip from the upcoming 25th anniversary home entertainment release of The Fast and the Furious published by Entertainment Weeklyon Monday, Aug. 24, Brewster and costar Vin Diesel reflected on Walker and his longtime connection to Brian O’Conner, the character he played in six films before his death in November 2013 at age 40.

For Brewster, who played Brian’s love interest Mia Toretto, Walker was a private person who still knew how to make fans feel seen.

“He was very private and authentic and grounded,” Brewster said of her onscreen husband.

Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster in March 2009Credit: Victor Chavez/WireImage

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According to the actress, there was one thing that could quickly bring Walker out of his shell: “But he would say, ‘If anyone comes up to me and they call me Brian, I open my arms and talk to them or sign whatever they want me to sign.’ ”

That distinction mattered to Walker, according to Diesel, 59, because Brian had become more than just a role. Over the course of the Fast movies, the character became intertwined with Walker’s own identity and with the fans who had grown up watching him.

Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Vin Diesel, from left, in 2011’s ‘Fast Five’Credit: Jaimie Trueblood/Universal

“When the character you create consumes you, what happens when you say, ‘I will always be Brian,’ ” Diesel said. “If you come up to me and you say, ‘Hey Paul,’ I’m less apt; I know that you’re not really coming after me because of a character that I’ve invested so much of my heart into, so much of my soul into.”

He added, “So when he says, ‘I will always be Brian,’ it’s haunting for us, because he is always Brian.”

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Walker first stepped behind the wheel as Brian in the 2001 original, The Fast and the Furious. The movie follows Brian, an undercover Los Angeles police officer investigating a series of truck hijackings. His investigation leads him to Dom (Diesel), a street racer suspected of being involved in the crimes. Brian soon finds himself getting pulled deeper into Dom’s world.

Matt Schulze, Chad Lindberg, Michelle Rodriguez, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker Johnny Strong, Jordana Brewster and Rick Yune in ‘The Fast And The Furious’Credit: Universal/Getty

Jordana Brewster and Paul Walker in ‘The Fast and The Furious’Credit: Bob Marshak/Universal Pictures/THA/Shutterstock

Brewster’s Mia is at the center of his complicated new life. As Dom’s sister, she knows the people Brian is investigating, but she also develops a relationship with him.

For Brian, Mia becomes another reason his undercover assignment is no longer as simple as it seemed.

Diesel’s Dom, meanwhile, is fiercely protective of his family and friends, and his relationship with Brian becomes one of the defining elements of the series. What begins with Brian investigating Dom eventually develops into a friendship that carries through the franchise.

Walker died on Nov. 30, 2013, at age 40, after the car he was riding in crashed while leaving a charity event. His death came while Furious 7 was in production, and the film was eventually completed with the help of visual effects and Walker’s brothers.

In the years since, Brewster has continued to speak about what Walker meant to her and the rest of the cast. On the 11th anniversary of his death in 2024, she shared a tribute on Instagram.

“I woke up so edgy today. Annoyed by EVERY. Little. Thing,” Brewster wrote. “Then I remembered. My stomach dropped. Someone isn’t here who should be. The one that lifted up everyone around him. The one who worked his ass off but didn’t let it show. The one with grace and humor.”

Diesel also marked the anniversary, sharing a photo of himself and Walker on Instagram.

“Eleven years, today … Some bonds truly never break. Grateful for that eternal brotherhood. Love and miss you,” he captioned the photo.

The original The Fast and the Furious arrives on disc and digital Tuesday, Aug. 25, as part of its 25th anniversary release, with a limited-edition 4K SteelBook also available.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”