Vin Diesel recently sat with #Legend magazine to talk about the highly-anticipated The Fate of the Furious, otherwise known as Fast & Furious 8. The actor jokingly revealed that Dame Helen Mirren “threatened” to beat him up if he didn’t help her land a role in the movie.

He shared about the 71-year-old actress: “You know, the term action star is a relatively new concept in the history of cinema. Clark Gable in ‘Gone With The Wind‘ was not an action star, although he was riding a wagon with fire blazing all around him.

Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One’ might be considered an action star. I wasn’t really ever conscious of it. I’ve always approached my career with the same conviction and I think that’s the hidden asset in the Fast saga.

That’s probably why all these Oscar-winning actors have wanted to join the cast and be part of the mythology. Charlize Theron is in it.

Helen Mirren, the wonderful and amazing Helen Mirren, accosted me at a Golden Globes party and basically threatened to beat me up if she wasn’t going to be in one.”

And Vin insists that having so many prominent actors has helped strengthen the franchise over the years.

He added: Having these actors on the films was adding another element and dimension to what some might write off as just another action movie.”

The news comes after Helen expressed concerns about starring in the new film, fearing her nervousness would ruin everything.

She shared: “I’m very nervous because when you’re going on to a set with people who have been doing this for (so long), basically, they all know each other.

They’ve worked together; they know what they’re doing. I’ll be, you know, the newcomer, the newbie. I think they’ll be nice to me. I hope they’ll be nice to me … I’ve only got one day, and I’ll probably f**k it up, oh God!”