The Fast And The Furious: Paul Walker's Driving Ability Changed A Key Chase Scene
One of the key characters in the "Fast & Furious" franchise over the course of its run has been Brian O'Conner. Initially an undercover cop sent in to expose the group's criminal activity, O'Conner ultimately aligns himself with the group, becoming a core member in subsequent films.
After the release of "The Fast & The Furious," Paul Walker, who plays O'Conner, was asked in an interview with IGN how much of the movie's stunt driving he was able to do himself.
Walker responded that he was behind the wheel for a number of the stunts and even provided some ideas on how to choreograph the scenes. One particular scene he highlighted was the chase sequence between his character Brian O'Conner, and Johnny Tran (Rick Yune). In the film, O'Conner pursues Tran after he and Lance Nguyen (Reggie Lee) kill Jesse (Chad Lindberg) in a drive-by. O'Conner ultimately shoots and kills Tran to bring the chase to a close.
The initial draft of the scene, Walker revealed, involved his character shooting while driving, ultimately hitting Tran. The actor, however, had a better idea and pitched it to the team. It involved O'Conner pulling the brake, turning the car 90 degrees, and shooting out of the driver's side window. Despite assuring director Rob Cohen and the team that he could do the stunt, they were skeptical due to the dangerous nature of it. But in three takes, Walker pointed out that he got it perfect every time, including the quick draw of the gun from his lap as soon as the car stops, followed by three quick shots.
"I love doing the action stuff. It's soooo much fun!" he concluded.
Working on the film was also a learning opportunity for Walker
Paul Walker also revealed that working on the film changed how he looked at cars.
He noted that he was already a car enthusiast before he began working on the film. His expertise, however, lay in American-made cars, such as Ford or Chevrolet. Walker said that this knowledge helped him better inform the character of O'Conner, likening it to being a salesperson who genuinely believes in a product they're selling.
Working on the film, however, gave Walker a sense of what non-American cars were capable of, which instilled in him a newfound respect and enthusiasm for them. His work on the film also gave the actor an appreciation for street drag racing culture in general, and he told the interviewer that he was attending drag races with a Nissan Skyline that he was working on. He noted that his appreciation for non-American cars also endeared him to the crowd, especially when they learned that it was his work in the movie that led to it. While his role as O'Conner already made him a favorite among the drag racing crowd, his knowledge of cars only added to it.
Paul Walker played O'Conner until his passing in 2013 from a car accident.