‘The Fast and The Furious' Almost Starred An Entirely Different Cast
The Fast and the Furious franchise nearly featured a very different "family."
Making its world premiere at the Mann Village Theater 25 years ago today, the first film in the franchise was a massive hit for Universal Pictures, spawning a series that still continues to this day.
It also helped jumpstart the careers of its stars, including Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster, who all became household names in the years to follow. While they're now synonymous with playing Brian, Dom, Letty, and Mia, respectively, there were some other big names up for roles in the film.
Eminem as Brian O'Conner?
Playing Brian O'Conner in the 2001 film was a big break for Walker, who had previously appeared in supporting roles in films like The Skulls, Varsity Blues, and She's All That. He would go on to play Brian in 2 Fast 2 Furious,Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and Furious 7, which was still in production when the actor died in a car crash.
According to a report from CBS, actors including Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale were also up for the role. Another name in the mix? Eminem, who, as internet legend goes, turned down the part to focus on his 2002 feature film debut, 8 Mile.
Who Turned Down Dom?
When it comes to Diesel's role as Dominic Toretto, producer Neal Moritz claimed Universal agreed to greenlight the film if they could get Deadwood star Timothy Olyphant to star. At the time, Olyphant was hot off films including Scream 2, Go, and the car heist film Gone In 60 Seconds.
"The luckiest thing that ever happened to us is Tim Olyphant turned us down," Moritz said. "He's a great actor. In fact, I'm curious to see what that movie would have been."
Olyphant was asked about walking away from the role during a 2018 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, saying, "I just thought, well, this will just be stupid, and I thought no one is gonna wanna see this movie eight or nine different times."
"I mean, by the third or fourth sequel, people are gonna definitely get bored of it. Right?" he said, before he was asked whether he regrets turning down the part. "No, it's not my thing," he replied.
Casting the Leading Ladies
As for the two leading female roles, Dom's sister Mia and his girlfriend Letty, Rodriguez said she landed her part after Vin Diesel recommended her to producers after seeing her in Girlfight. It's unclear whether anyone else was ever in the running.
CBS reports, however, that many late ‘90s It-girls were considered for Mia, a part allegedly written with Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku in mind.
Other stars who reportedly auditioned for the role include Dushku's Buffy co-star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, her Bring It On co-star Kirsten Dunst, and actresses Jessica Biel and Natalie Portman.
Could you imagine how different the series would be without the "Fast Family" fans have come to know and love?
The OG film is streaming now on Peacock, just in time for the 25th anniversary. It's also headed back to theaters on August 21.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 7:00 AM.