There’s arguably never been a transformation in Hollywood quite like the evolution of Vin Diesel. Yes, I said Vin Diesel. Sure, we’ve seen actors pivot genres and recreate themselves before (i.e The McConaissance), but few have executed a long-term plan of self-reinvention like The Diesel. However, in order to truly know Vin Diesel, you first have to meet Mark Sinclair.

As a boy raised in the bohemian enclave of Greenwich Village, Mark Sinclair frequented the local theater, often accompanied by his twin brother, and was introduced to the stage by his step-father, a drama teacher at a local theater. So, at just seven years old, Mark made his stage debut. That obsession with the spotlight followed him throughout high school and into Hunter College in NYC, where he graduated with a degree in creative writing. In order to have his days free for classes, auditions, and rehearsals, Mark took up one of the few weekend night shift jobs available to him: bouncing.

This is where we first see the emergence of the titular, colossal, larger than life character: Vin Diesel. Yes, that’s right, Vin Diesel didn’t spring from the womb in a cloud of engine fumes and testosterone, but at the door of swanky Manhattan nightclubs. Sinclair created the alter-ego of Vin Diesel to protect himself from any ill-conceived plans of retribution from powerful club patrons, later adopting it for protection in his film life as well. This is where ‘Mark Sinclair’ was laid to rest, and ‘Vin Diesel’ was born. But, like any aspiring actor, before Vin could launch his illustrious career, he had to make his pilgrimage to the film mecca of America: Good ole’ sunny Los Angeles.

At age 23, with a writing degree in hand and New York's theater scene behind him, Diesel set his sights on conquering L.A. However, the bustling city of dreams had other ideas. Not only was he unable to find an agent in his first year, but he was unable to land a role. Not one. For an entire year. Zero. Nada. 12-months of dead ends and closed doors. So, with his tail between his legs, Mark Sinclair headed back home, another cautionary tale spit out by the dream machine. For many, this would be the end of the story, a tale of youthful exuberance met by the hard reality of life - but not for Diesel.

Not doing much upon his return, Vin was prodded by his mother to do something - anything - in order to get him out of the house. So he did. Using the stories of his own struggles he faced as a multi-racial actor, Vin raced against the 30-day return policy on the equipment he rented to shoot and edit his first short film: Multi-Facial, a surprisingly poignant film about the struggles of identity as a bi-racial actor. However, not completely satisfied with the project, Diesel let the film sit in a drawer collecting dust until further instigation from his mother to at least put it out there - anywhere. And good thing she did. He submitted it to The Cannes Film Festival where - low and behold - it was accepted.

At Cannes, Diesel caught the attention of a local NYC producer, George Zakk, who helped him make his first feature film, Strays: a semi-autobiographical story about a small-time drug dealer and bouncer in NYC who wanted more for his life. Diesel wasn’t just the lead actor; he was the writer, producer, financier, and director. To fund the film, he worked in telemarketing, cold-calling and selling tools. Yes, I’m serious. And the production itself wasn’t without struggles: Vin ran out of money a week before shooting wrapped and was forced to rewrite the entire film in order to finish shooting in one day. Despite the chaos, Strays made it into Sundance and received praise from founder Robert Redford, which led to an MTV deal for a TV series - until fate (read: Steve Spielberg) intervened.

Spielberg was coming off Jurassic Park & Schindler’s List and was in full pre-production mode on an untitled World War 2 film, when he caught a look at ‘Multi-Racial’ after the indie director wrote him a 3-page letter of appreciation. Meeting with Diesel as a director, Spielberg decided to write him a role in ‘Saving Private Ryan’, as much to further his directing career then anything else. It was a candid, albeit brief performance, but it was enough to grab Hollywood’s attention. Diesel’s mix of onscreen and offscreen grit & resilience started paying off with more offers for the kinds of tough-guy roles he was already built for, like Boiler Room, Pitch Black, and Knock-Around Guys. It seems his career was finally gaining momentum. Then came The Fast and The Furious.

The street-racing saga, now a multi-billion-dollar franchise, was a game-changer for Diesel. After FF, he was cast as the lead in action-films such as xXx (Google it) and the Pitch Black spin-off The Chronicles of Riddick, all of which would become franchises and cement him as one of the most bankable action stars of his generation. However, Diesel wasn’t always eager to cash in on sequels. In fact, he turned down 2 Fast 2 Furious, fearing it would tarnish the legacy of the original. It was only five years later that he returned for a cameo in Tokyo Drift in exchange for the rights of the Riddick franchise and future creative control for the Fast & Furious films - a move he would deploy again with the xXx sequels. He wasn’t just an actor showing up for paychecks now; he became a visionary with ownership over his films.

The story of Vin Diesel is one of constant creation. From Mark Sinclair—the bouncer rejected by LA—to Vin Diesel, Hollywood superstar and action-film juggernaut. And although the internet might meme him to infinity, there’s no denying the respect owed to Mr. Diesel. He’s a living testament to the incredible power that lies latent in the individual soul, of the promethean ability that mankind has to create, or recreate, themselves. Vin has truly made a name for himself.

Both literally & figuratively.

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Vindication: The Rise of Vin Diesel