In Fast X, Brie Larson Is Mr. Nobody's Daughter And Vin Diesel's 'Guardian Angel'
Like "John Wick," it is kind of baffling to think of how far the "Fast & Furious" franchise has come since its humble origins. We've gone from a simple story that sort of emulated "Point Break" but with car racers and a dude who steals VCRs, to a blockbuster juggernaut that is basically the only rival for "Mission: Impossible" in terms of cast, stunts, and globe-spanning locations.
Regardless of what you think of Vin Diesel, his comparison of "Fast and Furious" to J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium is not that far-fetched. Sure, Tolkien did write thousands of years' worth of history, complex lore, religions, and entire languages, but Dominic Toretto's got family. Surprise character connections are becoming increasingly more important to these movies, which have long since abandoned conventional Hollywood blockbuster narratives in favor of doing a telenovela on the big screen. Everyone's got a secret sibling or relative that appears only to avenge their death, and eventually everyone becomes part of the family barbecue at the end of the film.
That includes Brie Larson's character in the upcoming "Fast X," who has a connection to Dominic Toretto's family, because of course she has. Speaking to Total Film, Larson reveals who her character is, and for everyone who was betting money on her playing Brian's sister (like me), you just lost. Turns out, she is related to the family, but not through the O'Conners, but through Mr. Nobody.
That's right, Larson is playing Tess, the daughter of the mysterious government agent Mr. Nobody, who is played by Kurt Russell in the films. According to Larson, Tess "is part of the Agency, but she also goes rogue and edges more towards the family side, but that means she has a lot to prove."
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Of course, this is not Brie Larson's first racing movie; her first leading role in a feature film being a Disney Channel Original Movie about car racing, so this is just a full circle moment for her.
Larson also teases some of the action set pieces her character will be a part of in the upcoming "Fast X." For example, Tess' first scene is an "epic fight scene which took two days to film, where she enters the bar with these giant platform boots and totally holds her own." And, unsurprisingly, Larson is also going to be behind the wheel, with the actress teasing a bombastic scene set in Rio. "We've got all the cars, and helicopters, and snipers, and everyone's coming together for this giant showdown."
As for her relationship with the rest of the family, director Louis Leterrier describes Tess as Dom's "guardian angel." Larson elaborates, "When Dom gives her an impossible task that's going to require a lot of thought and effort and also is putting herself at risk, she doesn't question it." The status of Mr. Nobody has been left unknown since the plane he was on crashed in "F9." Larson cryptically says that "Tess doesn't go along with the way that the Agency's headed now that her father isn't there," and that "she wants to show up for this family the way that her father did." Is he dead, or just laying low?
"Fast X" races into theaters on May 19, 2023.