Rita Moreno Joins the Cast of ‘Fast X’ as Vin Diesel’s Grandma

In an inspired bit of stunt casting, iconic EGOT winner Rita Moreno will join the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise family. The iconic actress will appear in the upcoming ‘Fast X’ as Dominic Toretto’s grandmother! Diesel, flanked by Moreno and co-star Michelle Rodriguez, made the announcement vis his Instagram. “It’s been my dream forever to work with Rita Moreno, and the fact that she’s here playing my grandmother makes my soul smile,” Diesel says, adding “I’m so blessed.”

Moreno, sporting a baseball cap reading “So far this is the oldest I’ve ever been”, responded saying “You know what, I think I was getting… I think my old age was waiting for you to invite me. Isn’t that nice? And now that I’m here, the answer is yes, I’ll do it. And yes, not only do it, but I’m tickled. I’m tickled to hell to do it. I’m so thrilled. It’s going to be such fun!”

Clearly everyone is excited for Moreno to be there, and honestly, how could they not be? The 90-year old Moreno is a perpetual delight, from her Academy Award-winning turn as Anita in West Side Story (1961) to her fan-favorite role as grandmother Lydia on ‘One Day at a Time’. Few movie stars are as celebrated and beloved as Rita Moreno.

Diesel has been eager to recruit Moreno to the franchise for ages, telling Variety in 2021,  “before we get to Mother Toretto, we will get to Abuela. And the person that I’m so excited to talk about that role is Rita Moreno.” Moreno responded, saying  “I’m waiting for his call. I think it’s a fabulous idea. I hope he puts me in black leather…”

‘Fast X’ will also see the return of Dom’s brother Jakob (John Cena), who was introduced in ‘F9’. Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson is joining the cast, along with Jason Momoa, Michael Rooker, Charlize Theron, Daniela Melchior (The Suicide squad), and Alan Richson (Reacher). F9 director and co-writer Justin Lin recently left the film as director, and has been replaced by Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk, Now You See Me).

Fast X is set to hit theaters May 19, 2023.

(featured image: John Lamparski/Getty images for Tribeca Festival)

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