Vin Diesel Interview – The Truth About I Am Groot

I’ll begin by talking about the concept of celebrity. Having spent my formative years in a city dominated by NFL football, where encounters with celebrities were commonplace, I’ve developed a specific immunity to being easily impressed. However, meeting Vin Diesel (and his Groot character) was a revelation that defied all expectations. I had anticipated encountering a persona akin to his iconic character, Riddick—a tough, stoic figure. Instead, our interview revealed a remarkably genuine, humorous, and affable individual, completely overturning my preconceptions.

When Vin entered the room, applause erupted spontaneously. (And for those curious—yes, he’s every bit as handsome in person as he appears on the big screen!) With a feigned look of surprise, he quipped, “Let’s try that again,” then promptly exited and re-entered the room. This unexpected gesture broke the ice, leaving most of us in tears from laughter. Vin exemplified how celebrities are simply human beings. I could easily share a table and converse with him (Vin, let’s set that dinner date! LOL). He was refreshingly down-to-earth throughout.

In the film Guardians of the Galaxy, Vin Diesel takes on the role of Groot, a Flora Colossus originating from Planet X, the hub of the branch worlds. Flora Colossus are tree-like creatures whose speech is notably challenging to decipher due to the rigid nature of their larynxes, resulting in their communications often sounding like the repetitive phrase “I am Groot.” Despite this limitation, Groot plays a significant role in the movie. We asked Vin about his decision to portray the character of Groot,

First of all, the people that get the most credit for me playing Groot are those people on my Facebook page.  They manifested this union between myself and Marvel when nobody had an idea of what we could do.  As you know, I had to shoot “Fast and the Furious 7” a little bit longer than anticipated, and there was really no schedule to be able to do a six-month role.  The persistence of the social media somewhat forced us all to be really creative.   Kevin Feige had went Comic Con and I was at Comic Con too for “Riddick” and kept getting asked “What is the involvement between Vin and Marvel”.  We felt like, oh my God, we’d better come up with something fast.  He called me and said, “I’m gonna tell you about this character. Don’t think I’m crazy. I hope you will like it.  I’m going to send you over some conceptual art.”  I got delivered this huge book of conceptual art for “The Guardians of the Galaxy.”  It’s the first time that I had ever seen what they were doing with Groot which is not like anything you have ever seen in any of the comic books.  It’s an original Groot.  I went into the living room, and the kids were there, and I opened up the book, and it was a double-truck picture with all of the characters.  I said to the kids, “What character do you think they want Daddy to play?”  They answered in seconds. I was praying that they would lead me in feeling good about this role.  They all pointed to Groot, and they thought Groot was cool.

I love that Vin Diesel involved his children in the process of choosing to portray Groot. Furthermore, he graciously shared some additional insights about his children with us:

The best thing about having played this role is something I never would have anticipated as an actor. I never would’ve seen this coming. I knew when I did the voice of Iron Giant that it would be cool for my kids to say “my dad is the Iron Giant.”  I didn’t anticipate what the effect would be from playing Groot, and this is what it’s been.

When my kids are in the back seat, whenever we’re driving they see trees they say, “Look, Dad. It’s your brothers and sisters.” You can’t beat that. I mean, nothing I would try to teach them about life and respect for nature could have been as effective as them seeing Daddy as Groot, and how appropriate.

We’ve never seen trees in that light. I mean, we, I guess, in 1939, when “The Wizard of Oz” came out, there was a little something us people that kind of saw that saw, you know, okay, the tree can have some kind of feelings, if they’re pulling apples from the tree. This, I feel, has gone to the next level.  I never thought I’d be so proud of it. In some ways, Groot is nature’s ambassador, and there’s something beautiful about that. 

I do movies that are not necessarily for kids. So, to do this and to be able to share this with the little ones, and for them to be so excited about it and so proud of it, and to think of trees differently. They will never look at a tree the same way. No one will, after this.

We then inquired about his influence on collaborating with the special effects team.

I went into the recording booth as a seven-and-a-half foot tree, in essence. I was wearing jumping stilts while I was recording.  They had to adjust the mic, and they had never had to do that before. It was pretty intense.  You just need one thing, or a few things, that get you into character, that get you into the spirit of the character. What I wanted to do is be seven-and-a-half feet tall, and I was seven-and-a-half feet tall, and it felt like I was adding something.

Additionally, we of course asked him about his upcoming projects, aside from Fast and the Furious 7:

I am about to do a movie called “The Last Witch Hunter” about a 700-year old New Yorker.

He was incredibly gracious when we asked him to join us for a group photo. To break the ice, he spontaneously led us in a rendition of “Hooked On A Feeling,” one of the popular tracks from Guardians of the Galaxy‘s soundtrack.

It’s clear that beyond his larger-than-life roles on screen, Vin Diesel embodies genuine warmth and approachability. From his unexpected antics that brought laughter to the room to his heartfelt stories about his family and creative process, Vin Diesel shattered stereotypes of celebrity aloofness. His willingness to engage authentically with those around him underscores that, at the core, he remains dedicated to his craft and grounded in his values. Meeting Vin Diesel was not just an interview but an unforgettable encounter with a true professional and a genuinely kind individual.