“I told him, ‘You should work with her. You should have her be your grandma, have her slap you upside the head,’ ” recalled Moreno’s grandson Justin Fisher

Rita Moreno and grandson Justin Fisher; Vin Diesel. PHOTO: MATT BARON/BEI/SHUTTERSTOCK; DANIELE VENTURELLI/WIREIMAGE

Sounds like Rita Moreno has a very special family member to thank for her upcoming role in Fast X!

The EGOT winner, 91, was accompanied by her grandson Justin Fisher at the premiere of her new film 80 For Brady in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where the two spoke with Entertainment Tonight about Moreno’s appearance in the upcoming 10th installment in the Fast & Furious franchise.

Fisher told the outlet that he “caught up” and “grabbed drinks” with Fast & Furious legacy star and producer Vin Diesel following the 2021 premiere of West Side Story — and the rest is history.

“He’s so fond of my grandma,” Fisher told ET of Diesel, 55. “I told him, ‘You should work with her. You should have her be your grandma, have her slap you upside the head. Have her have a little tone, because you know her: It’s all tone.’ “

“It was my idea to get her in Fast and Furious 10,” Fisher also said, while his grandma later joked that she should give him a cut of her paycheck.

Rita Moreno and grandson Justin Fisher. AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC

Diesel shared the news of Moreno’s casting on Instagram in May 2022, posting a selfie-style video of himself with the legendary actress and longtime costar Michelle Rodriguez.

“It’s been my dream forever to work with Rita Moreno and the fact that she’s here, playing my grandmother, makes my soul smile. I’m so blessed,” Diesel said in the video.

And the sentiment is mutual. As Moreno joked to Diesel on camera, “I think my old age was waiting for you to invite me.”

“Isn’t that nice? And I’m here,” she added. “And the answer is, ‘Yes, I’ll do it.’ And not only do it — I’m tickled.”

“I’m so thrilled. This is gonna be such fun,” Moreno concluded.

Meanwhile, Fisher was among the close friends and family at a surprise 91st birthday party for Moreno this past December.

Thrown by her daughter Fernanda Luisa Gordon, the party was also attended by the actress’s son-in-law David Fisher and close friends including author Amy Tan and her husband.

And Moreno “was absolutely surprised” at the gathering, Gordon told PEOPLE, as “she thought that she was coming upstairs just to see a new light fixture — she didn’t realize that the place would be full of friends.”

“She had said to me previously how much she wished she could celebrate her birthday in her new home but she just didn’t see how to make it happen, so she was thrilled that I made it happen,” Gordon added.

Fast X is scheduled for a theatrical release on May 19, while 80 for Brady is in theaters Friday.