00:00What up, though? You already know what it is.
00:02It's your baby, Camille Hassan, from the latest release, Crash Out.
00:05I'm here this morning, this morning,
00:08to do the show with my aunt, Mason, in the morning,
00:11and Angie Starr, baby. Let's get it.
00:13Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls from around the world,
00:16the star is in the house.
00:18The second one.
00:19Yeah?
00:20This, ladies and gentlemen, is the world-amazing actor.
00:24Uh-huh.
00:25Diesel's in the house, baby!
00:26He is with us!
00:27I'm not gonna clap or nothing, huh?
00:29Yes!
00:30Woo-hoo!
00:31What's up, good brother? How are you?
00:32What's up, Uncle Mays?
00:33Man, it is good to see you.
00:36Glad to see y'all, too, man.
00:37Thank y'all for having me.
00:38Listen, you got a new movie,
00:40but before we talk about that movie,
00:43tell us what you've been doing.
00:46Oh, Lord.
00:47I'm really on a break right now.
00:50Not a break.
00:51My break is on.
00:52It's ended, uh, the end of January.
00:55I really try to take December and January off,
00:58but, uh,
01:00December didn't work.
01:01Um, this time.
01:03You stayed busy?
01:04We worked right up until just before Christmas,
01:07we filmed, uh,
01:09the last episodes of season four for the Dirty D.
01:11Oh, wow, yeah.
01:13Yeah, I've been, uh, blessed with the opportunity
01:16and the privilege to direct, uh,
01:18those past, those last episodes of the season, so.
01:22Wow.
01:23Like being behind the camera?
01:24And, you know, I mean, you're doing both, but.
01:26Yeah, no, it's, it's, uh, I love the work.
01:30You know what I mean?
01:31And I, the, the sport, if, if, so to speak.
01:34So, it's, um, a love I have for the game
01:37and the, the, the talent that comes in, in the game
01:42and the serious about the game and the, you know,
01:45just, just everything about it being on set.
01:47But, um, the energy on set, the, the whole idea
01:52that, that, um, that the audience is waiting
01:56on what we're shooting, it's, uh, it's, uh,
01:59a privileged position.
02:00It's, it's difficult because it's a lot of moving parts
02:04that goes into, you know, what we do.
02:06But it's, um, it's, it's an honor and it's fun.
02:11And it's, I'm lucky.
02:13I'm lucky.
02:14I'm getting off.
02:15Well, you know.
02:17I'm getting off.
02:17I have to compliment you because every time I go on,
02:19because I stream now and when they give me the lineup
02:22on, like, the bars, your picture is up there
02:25all the time now.
02:26You're, like, the featured star that is always,
02:30your picture is there for some movie that you're doing,
02:32like, all the time.
02:34They just, like, show you love.
02:36They like you.
02:37I think they more, like, love him.
02:39Yeah, yeah, because you are, like, always, every time.
02:42It's all love, yeah, it's all love.
02:43How many years for you, Diesel, doing movies now?
02:46Um, this is, this will be year seven in May.
02:53Wow.
02:54Mm-hmm.
02:54That's kind of when I went on a two movies a month, pretty much,
02:59doing something every few weeks.
03:02And the past few years, I've been doing, like, 20-plus movies a year.
03:08So, did you imagine that it would be this much?
03:13Absolutely not.
03:14Absolutely not.
03:15I just fell in love with the work.
03:17And then, you know, I just so happened to have, you know what I'm saying,
03:21a talent that God gave me.
03:23And it's a natural thing for me, you know, to be on camera.
03:28So, um, I'm, I'm, again, I'm really, I'm really, really lucky and blessed.
03:33So, um, no, I did not imagine all of this, but I'll take it.
03:39So, the burning question that Angie and I had earlier today, um, why not Hollywood?
03:47Or where are you in terms of integrating what you do with Hollywood featured films?
03:57Um, funny story.
04:00Back in, I want to say, 2015, 2016, I kind of, you know, went out to Hollywood
04:07and, uh, you know, had some meetings and went around and, you know, did some networking.
04:13And then, um, I was pretty much told I was, I didn't have to look.
04:18I didn't, I was too heavy.
04:21Just, just everything that, that, uh, that, uh, Hollywood didn't want, basically.
04:29And, uh, lucky for me, I was at a point in my life to where I was fully in love
04:36with acting.
04:37And I was on stage at that point.
04:39Like, there weren't no movies on my calendar at all.
04:42So, um, I just, just, uh, felt like I, I would work and continue to work and continue to work
04:51and continue to work.
04:52And as long as I'm working, I'm good.
04:55Did that discourage you from?
04:57No.
04:58No.
04:58I'm, you know, because, you know, if you open your eyes wide enough,
05:01you realize Hollywood is more of a, uh, system.
05:05You know what I'm saying?
05:06It's more of a, um, yeah.
05:08They got their own little play that they run, you know, and a lot of black actors, male actors that
05:14they use are European dudes.
05:17Yeah.
05:18Like, they don't really use a lot of American black dudes, you know, and, you know, it is what it
05:24is.
05:25But I feel like this is a great space because it's love for my people.
05:32Like, there's nothing better than your people taking care of you.
05:35It's how it's supposed to be across the board.
05:37We're supposed to be taking care of each other.
05:40It just, just so happened, you know, over these past years, it's been a booming, uh, industry in independent films.
05:48And, you know, the fans, the watchers, the followers, whatever you want to call them, they, they've been holding us
05:54now.
05:55And it's, it's beautiful.
05:57So, if we, if we stay here, you know what I'm saying, entertaining our people, I'll speak for myself.
06:05I'm good with that.
06:06As long as I can take care of my family, I got what I need.
06:09You know what I'm saying?
06:10I don't, I don't really need that validation because my people love me.
06:16The independence.
06:17I love it.
06:18Yeah.
06:18You want to say?
06:18Well, no, I was just, because Mason and I were talking earlier and I described, I was like, he's the,
06:23he's the next Billy Dee.
06:25Because back in my day.
06:26That's what she said to you.
06:29You want me.
06:31You want me.
06:31I mean, I believe that, but you want me.
06:34You are that.
06:35No, yeah.
06:36You got the whole, whole thing, man.
06:40I was like, I seen you up on my TV.
06:43I said, oh, yeah.
06:45That's Billy Dee.
06:46Do your thing, baby.
06:50I enjoyed the smooth taste.
06:55I'll never, I'll never forget the story of me and Eric Nolan of the OJs.
07:01Oh, right.
07:02When we were in a, in a, a film like festival situation and he was saying, man, and he, he,
07:10listen, you, you do not impress Eric Nolan.
07:13At all.
07:14He went to.
07:14He just, he just, he just stubborn for no reason.
07:17Right.
07:17Right.
07:18Yeah.
07:18Right.
07:19So he sees Diesel and he freezes and says it like, hey, you see who that is over there?
07:31And I just said, yeah.
07:32Just cause I'm like, I don't see him.
07:34I'm just fine.
07:35Cause I see people I know.
07:37And he goes, man, you know who that is?
07:40And I was like, I just went along with it.
07:42I said, yeah, I know.
07:43He said, man, I gotta go speak to him.
07:46He wouldn't move.
07:47He just said it like, if you move, you're going to lose your chance to say hi to him.
07:53So he said he was going to go over there.
07:56He said, I'm going to do it.
07:57I'm going over there and speak to him.
08:00And I said, okay, cool.
08:02I see somebody I know.
08:03So you go ahead and speak to him.
08:05I see my friend and he like, man, no, no, you need to come over here.
08:11I'm like, I'll walk that way.
08:13I said, I'll walk that way.
08:15But I see a friend of mine.
08:18So we're walking that way and he's walking toward Diesel.
08:23I'm like, the guy must be back there behind Diesel.
08:26Anyway, I see Diesel.
08:28So we greet and he like, that's him.
08:32Do you know him?
08:34He, it's, it's, it's family.
08:37Yeah.
08:38Detroit is family, always has been.
08:40But Diesel, we're proud of you.
08:42Mm-hmm.
08:43We are very, very proud of you, man.
08:46Very proud.
08:46That means a lot.
08:47Because this town is a tough, tough cookie to crack.
08:50Right.
08:50You gotta be.
08:51But you've cracked the country.
08:52You gotta be official.
08:53Right.
08:54And I said the country, you've cracked the world.
08:57People recognize you as one of the biggest stars ever to appear in 2B movies.
09:07And you just had your head down and just kept grinding and working and stuff.
09:12It's dead, don't stop.
09:13It's still the same.
09:14Still the same like I started.
09:16I had an office where they were doing an audition in the lobby.
09:19I didn't know.
09:20I had my little door closed.
09:22I heard Diesel's voice.
09:23I was good.
09:24I was gonna go speak to him in a second.
09:25And I was finishing up what I was doing.
09:27Man, I heard this commotion.
09:29Mm-hmm.
09:30I'm like, oh, snap.
09:32I said, oh, I gotta get out of here.
09:34Somebody done made him mad.
09:36I said, I wonder what happened.
09:38I said, Diesel's, I mean, he can handle situations.
09:42Somebody has pissed him off.
09:44And so the commotion kept going and the argument started to elevate.
09:49I'm like, damn, I'm caught in this office.
09:52They done pissed him off.
09:54I hope they don't start shooting.
09:55Shoot and fight.
09:57I said, and he about to knock this girl out.
10:00What?
10:01And then, and then, and then, and then divine, all of them started to laugh.
10:06I opened the door there and tried to sneak out.
10:10Of course it was Diesel and he was just taking them through a rehearsal.
10:13They started applauding and everything.
10:15All of those people hadn't met you yet.
10:17But you even take situations like that full speed ahead.
10:22Mm-hmm.
10:23This is like with, with athletes.
10:24They go, well, you know, we only practice and so it's not the same.
10:29And stars of sports always mention the stars.
10:34Mm-hmm.
10:34They say, man, they, they go like this in practice.
10:36You gotta go.
10:37You gotta go at all times.
10:38You gotta be ready to go when you read it immediately.
10:42That's how I feel.
