Whether or not he's fast isn't nearly as important as how furious actor Vin Diesel seems to be about the "billions of dollars" he feels social network Facebook owes him for, well, being Vin Diesel.
Diesel, real name Mark Sinclair Vincent, claims that because he was one of the first major celebrities to tout Facebook and that he had more than a million followers to whom he could promote the advantages of the social network, he might be owed some compensation.
But "billions of dollars"? That seems a bit ... "Riddick-ulous."
Regardless of the excessive claim –– serious or not –– by Diesel, he does talk about his lack of remuneration from Facebook in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. Diesel explained that when he "jumped" onto his page in April 2009 (half a decade after the site first launched, lest we forget), Facebook was devoid of anyone who had the million followers he boasted.
By being able to talk with his many, many Facebook fans, Diesel feels he was able to promote the network in a way that could be comparable to how Marlon Barlon –– in Diesel's own estimation –– could have promoted the site if Facebook had started up back in the day. Diesel's comparison of his star power didn't stop with Brando, either.
"Imagine, if you were able to Facebook Elvis, and talk to him, and hear from him without the Hollywood of it all," Diesel said. "That was the Fast & Furious experience."
Of course, even Diesel can admit he wasn't the only one with one million followers on Facebook in 2009.
"So, when I had started my page, the only person that had a million fans was Barack Obama. Because it was first-quarter 2009, and he'd just got elected as President, because of social media. So, when I started talking to the fans, I became the No. 1 page in the world. Over Coca-Cola, over huge companies. And it was only because I said: 'Hi, guys, I love you.'"
Diesel added that Facebook was so astounded by his accruing of one million followers that the folks at the company even called him over to ask "what the f- I was doing, and why I had so many fans." Diesel believes the trick is doing his own posts. He also believes, again, that Facebook owes him.
"Facebook really owes me billions of dollars," Diesel said, laughing. "But whatever."
What do you think? Was Diesel really kidding in the article or did he seem to be serious? Is he really comparable to Marlon Brando or Elvis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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