Ludacris Reflects On Working With The Late Paul Walker Ahead Of ‘Fast X’ Premiere

It’s been nearly 10 years since Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker died from a a single-vehicle collision in 2013. At the time, Walker was filming Fast 7 which also starred Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges and many more.

In an exclusive interview with Ludacris surrounding his latest musical, movie, and business endeavors, the 45-year-old spoke about what it was like working with his “brother and friend,” 10 years ago. He also expressed what the atmosphere is like a decade later, filming on set of the forthcoming film Fast X without Walker.

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“Man, it’s difficult, like you say, because we lost our brother and our deep friend,” he told VIBE. “At the same time, we have his daughter, who he lives on through her, and she’s on set with us a lot and off set as well — but it’s about carrying on the legacy that he began.”

He added, “It’s difficult, but at the same time, I think us becoming tighter and closer after him passing away, is what keeps the legacy of everything that he was trying to do — and engulf and embody — together. Because a lot of it is making sure we continue to shed the light on his foundation and what he was doing just worldwide, in terms of preservation and in terms of this earth’s animals and extinction.”

“So again, we just come together as a family to continue to have his legacy live on, is the best way.”

In Fast X, Luda reprises his role as Tej Parker, a technical expert, mechanic and former street racer. In the film, Tej and Brian O’Connor (Walker)’s relationship was more of a bromance, as Brian allowed Tej to participate in races before his prime.

Luda explained what fans can expect to see from Tej this time around onscreen, revealing that the film is actually a “two-parter.”

“My character, even if just a little bit, I just want him to progress and evolve and show something that the audience has never seen in every single movie,” he said. “This is a two-parter, and so there’s so much going on that you get glimpses of a lot of things happening.”

He continued, “I don’t know if I can give this away, but I can say you can expect a lot of friction between one of the people he cares about the most and, hopefully, they’re able to work it out, as well.”

Fast X premieres in theaters on Friday (May 19). Check out the trailer below.

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Timbaland Recalls Discovering Ludacris: “I Knew He Was Incredible"

Outside of the big screen, Ludacris has been staying busy as he’s currently touring with Janet Jackson, producing his hit Netflix show Karma’s World, and surprisingly has teamed up with the beloved snack, Rice Krispies Treats.

Speaking on his latest partnership — which follows Ciara’s campaign with the brand last year — he expressed his love for the snack and the good deeds that will come from his recruitment.

“Unbeknownst to you, ever since I was a kid, I definitely used to eat Rice Krispies Treats, but now, I eat them a little less because it’s more of a cheap-meal-type-snack-thing as I’ve progressed,” he said. “But whatever I don’t eat, my children have taken up for the amount. So basically, it’s cross-generational.”

He further explained his reasoning for joining the campaign, noting his admiration for The Boys & Girls Club.

“The Boys & Girls Club is dear to my heart; my father grew up in it, I grew up in it, and it’s a productive way to do constructive things for children in inner-city neighborhoods. And we’re donating $100,000 to that, as well as trying to bring families and people back together.”

He also added that he wants to “gamify” snack time and dinner time by “just having fun again, because there’s so many distractions in the world today.”

Following his partnership with Rice Krispies Treats and ahead of Fast X‘s premiere, Ludacris and the gooey treat have launched a series of “Eat. Treat. Compete” games for dinner time, including: “Wrapper Rhymes,” “Stick the Landing,” “Unicorn Duel,” “Treat Mitts” and “Krispie Cannons.”

Check out a trailer for Fast X above and a TikTok of Luda playing “Wrapper Rhymes” with his daughters below.

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