Ludacris’ ‘Fast & Furious’ Spit Take Was a Genuine Response to the Rock’s Improvised Line
The Fast & the Furious movies are known for their high-octane car chases, featuring beyond-impossible stunts that make audiences stare in disbelief. For the actors, it’s all old hat. But one hilarious moment came when Ludacris reacted to the Rock punching up some dialogue.
Ludacris and the Rock star in the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise
The Fast & Furious franchise has been going on for decades. Though, for some, it was hard to get past the death of star Paul Walker, the films continue in earnest. As the franchise heads toward films 10 and 11, the 20-year legacy remains intact.
Ludacris (credited in the film as Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) joined as Tej Parker in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the franchise’s second installment. He appears as a side character who runs a garage and helps Brian (Paul Walker’s character) escape FBI detection.
Tej’s reappearance in Fast 5 has him joining the team for an impressive heist in Rio de Janeiro. From that point forward, Tej became integral to the jet-setting crew and the franchise’s increasingly elaborate crime schemes.
As for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the actor began portraying Luke Hobbs, a DSS agent, in Fast 5. Hobbs acts as a playful adversary for the crew, though he works with them when necessary.
Ludacris’ famous spit take in ‘Fast & Furious 6’ was real
When you think of an action franchise that has built its reputation on fast cars and elaborate stunts, you don’t typically think of a spit take. However, Ludacris spits out his drink in response to a line from Johnson. The take looks incredibly genuine, and that’s because it was unplanned.
In a way, this take was actually a chain reaction of improvisation and unintentional reactions. Johnson improvised a line so funny that Ludacris couldn’t help but respond with actual surprise. What line had Ludacris spitting out his drink?
As Hobbs’ character walks up, Roman (Tyrese Gibson) jokes, “Hey Mia, you better hide your baby oil.” In a completely off-the-cuff moment and without missing a beat, Johnson responds, “You better hide that big a** forehead.” As Roman’s face falls while the cutting joke sinks in, Ludacris reacts naturally — by spitting out the drink he was sipping as he cracks up.
The ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise is filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes details
The spit take is just one of many interesting moments from the Fast & the Furious franchise. As Hot Cars reports, there are tons of secrets from the set.
For example, eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger from the first movie is visible in a junkyard in Herbie: Fully Loaded, suggesting that the two car-related films are part of the same fictional universe.
A more complicated behind-the-scenes detail involves Vin Diesel’s brief appearance in the third film, Tokyo Drift. While he was the first film’s protagonist and would return as the main character later in the franchise, he skipped some installments because he thought sequels would cheapen the original. He did, however, agree to appear briefly in Tokyo Drift under one condition — and it wasn’t money. Instead of taking traditional payment, the star negotiated to gain the rights to Riddick, his character from Pitch Black. He used his newfound legal allowances to produce and star in more films focused on Riddick.
