Vin Diesel credits director Justin Lin for suggesting that the actor’s son, Vincent Sinclair, play the younger version of his Dominic Toretto character in the film

Vin Diesel says that sharing the big screen with his son is an experience unlike any other.

While appearing on The Tonight Show Tuesday, the 53-year-old actor opened up to host Jimmy Fallon about how his son, Vincent Sinclair, made his movie debut in F9 as the younger version of his dad’s beloved character, Dominic Toretto.

First detailing that it wasn’t his idea to cast his son, 10, in the film, Diesel said, “I can’t take the credit. It was Justin Lin, the director.”

“But we’ve been making these movies for so long, that every time one of my children were born, I was usually working on a Fast and Furious movie,” the actor continued. “So the director and the cast all have their own relationship with my children. And it was [Lin’s] idea for my son to play young Dom.”

“And the irony is, the thing I remember the most, was coming home that day. Because when you see the movie, it’s kind of a deep scene, so Dom is in a deep state of mind,” Diesel added. “And my son was watching me work the whole day, and it wasn’t until I got home that I saw a twinkle in his eye because he had finally seen his father come home, as opposed to being Dom Toretto the whole time.”

VIN DIESEL/ INSTAGRAM

It was first reported that Diesel’s son would be portraying a younger version of his father’s famous role in March.

According to TMZ, Vincent filmed his scenes back in 2019 and reportedly received a daily rate of $1,005. Entertainment Weekly also confirmed his casting at the time.

The younger Dominic was last played by Alex McGee during a flashback scene in 2015’s Furious 7.

Diesel shares Vincent with his longtime model girlfriend Paloma Jimenez. The pair are also parents to daughters Hania Riley 13, and Pauline, 6.

Diesel reprises his role as Dominic in F9, the sequel to 2017’s The Fate of the Furious and the ninth installment in the iconic film franchise. Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and John Cena also star.

Directed by Lin, 49, F9 was originally scheduled to drop in May 2020 but was pushed back by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is now officially scheduled for release on June 25.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly back in January, Diesel opened up about the delay of the film and how he is “definitely eager to share it.”

“When you make a good movie, your first goal is to make something that you can be proud of, and in the film business you learn from the very beginning that when the film gets released, even without the pandemic, is rarely in your control,” he said at the time. “But when you really think about the quality of the movie, there’s more time you have to work in post-production, more time to get the shots right; it does give you a little bit of a cushion.”

“I want to get the movie out for all of the great fans who have been waiting for this chapter — and yet look at the world that we live in,” he continued. “I can only say that when you see the movie you will be excited and, hopefully, you will be really, really happy.