Actor Vin Diesel received a star on Hollywood's iconic Walk of Fame on Monday and the usually private 46-year-old action film star gave some revealing snippets about his life.
Diesel – whose real name is Mark Sinclair Vincent, reports
Time magazine – said he hopes his star inspires other people to pursue their passions, according to
KABC-TV's OnTheRedCarpet.com story on Vin Diesel's Walk of Fame star.
"This star, more than anything, has to represent for people all over the world that dreams can come true," Diesel told Red Carpet's Jacob Burch.
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Diesel, who is involved with the "Fast and Furious" movie franchise, was joined at the ceremony by co-stars Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez. Diesel will be starring in the third film of his "Riddick" franchise on Sept. 6.
Rodriguez called Diesel "one of my best friends – if not the best friend. Diesel genuinely loves what he does for a living and that's a rare thing in this business."
In one of the more touching moments, Diesel talked about his grandmother, who convinced his mother not to have an abortion when she became pregnant with him and his twin brother, according to OnTheRedCarpet.com.
"There's so many stories that go back to my grandmother, Carmen, who talked my mother out of having an abortion," Diesel told the crowd. "Thank you Grandma Carmen. I wish you could see this right now, Grandma Carmen. It was a good decision."
Variety reported that the star brings Diesel full circle after he was plucked out of his ensemble role in "Saving Private Ryan" to headlining "XXX" four years later.
"Vin is one of the most wildly misunderstood actor-producers out there," said Universal co-chairman Donna Langley, whose connection with Diesel predates even 2001’s "The Fast and the Furious."
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Diesel talked about his struggles before becoming a box office star, from his days as a bodyguard and even a break dancer, according to OnTheRedCarpet.com.
"I had been struggling, trying to make a name in off, off, off-Broadway plays and I was so frustrated with the lack of ability to perform and to be artistic, that right before 'Flashdance' came out, I became a break dancer," Diesel told the ceremony's audience. "I would make money by taking the hat off my head and stretching my arm and walking around a crowd and saying, essentially, 'Did I perform well enough for you to give me a dollar?'"
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