Vin Diesel cries in Paul Walker tribute at Cannes with Meadow Walker

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYThu, May 14, 2026 at 12:38 PM UTC

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Vin Diesel is taking an emotional drive back to where it all began.

The actor, 58, cried through an emotional speech honoring his late costar Paul Walker at Cannes Film Festival, where the original 2001 "The Fast and the Furious" was screened.

Diesel wiped away tears throughout his remarks at the end of the midnight screening, and he shared a touching moment with Meadow Walker, the late actor's 27-year-old daughter.

"Meadow has been such a source of strength, and I know he would be so proud of you. And I love you forever," Diesel said while standing next to Walker, and the two shared a hug.

Paul Walker, who starred as Brian O'Conner in the "Fast & Furious" series, died in a car accident in 2013. He was 40.

Diesel seemed to struggle to get through his emotional Cannes speech and at one point playfully chided himself for crying. "I pray that in your life, that you get to have a brother like Paul," he said, starting the remarks after a long pause.

Paul Walker's daughter shares touching tribute to late dad

He continued by remembering the moments he shared with Walker at the "Fast & Furious" movie premieres and reflected that it's "so hard" for him to watch the first movie and recall a moment during production when Walker told him he had a 1-year-old daughter.

Meadow Walker, Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Neal H. Moritz attend "The Fast And The Furious" photocall during the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2026, in Cannes, France.

Meadow was Walker's only child, who the late actor welcomed with Rebecca Soteros. She is now an actress and model, and she had a cameo as a flight attendant in the most recent "Fast & Furious" movie, "Fast X."

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"The Fast and the Furious" was shown at Cannes in a midnight screening in honor of the 2001 movie's 25th anniversary. In addition to Diesel and Walker, stars Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez attended.

Diesel also praised Meadow Walker in a speech prior to the screening, saying, "There was somebody that was not going to let me come alone, because after all, this is a film where brotherhood was introduced to our millennium, by myself and my brother Pablo." He added that Meadow was there to help "represent that brotherhood."

Vin Diesel is bringing four 'Fast and Furious' TV shows to Peacock

The Cannes event comes as fans are still waiting for the 11th, and supposedly final, "Fast & Furious" movie, which has been titled "Fast Forever" and is set for release in March 2028.

In 2025, Diesel revealed he plans to bring back Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, for the franchise's finale, though he did not explain how he intends to do so. The star previously told Total Film in 2023 he "couldn't imagine this saga ending without truly saying goodbye to Brian O'Conner." Walker's character is still alive in the "Fast & Furious" universe, though 2015's "Furious 7" gave him an emotional sendoff.

Vin Diesel embraces Meadow Walker at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes on May 13, 2026.

But "Fast Forever" won't be the end of the road for the action franchise: During NBC's upfronts presentation on May 11, Diesel announced that Peacock is "launching four shows" in the "Fast and the Furious" universe.

"As you all know, we are very precious about these movies but over the last decade, we’ve realized that the fans have wanted more, they wanted us to expand the legacy characters, their stories,” he said. “And for the last decade, the desire has been for us to enter the TV space."

Contributing: Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Fast and Furious' – Vin Diesel honors Paul Walker at Cannes

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