Dwayne Johnson calls Vin Diesel’s post manipulative

Dwayne Johnson isn’t uncomfortable about communicating his emotions about Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel. In an interview with CNN, Johnson, 49, expressed Diesel’s November Instagram post, in which the 54-year-old actor publicly asked Johnson to rejoin the beloved film franchise, calling Diesel’s move “an example of his manipulation.” “I was taken aback by Vin’s recent post,” Johnson said.

“This past June, when Vin and I connected not over social media, I told him directly and privately that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. I privately spoke with my partners at Universal as well, all of whom were very supportive as they understand the problem,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I’m confident in the Fast universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience, and I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter,” Johnson added. 

I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck

In the Instagram post that the Jungle Cruise star is referring to, Diesel wrote in part, “My little brother Dwayne… the time has come. The world awaits the finale of Fast 10. As you know, my children refer to you as Uncle Dwayne in my house. There is not a holiday that goes by that they and you don’t send well wishes… but the time has come.” 

Dwayne Johnson and Diesel’s feud first surfaced in 2016. While they were filming The Fate of the Furious, the eighth installment of the long-running franchise. “Tension has been building up for months,” a production source told PEOPLE at the time. Johnson also called out his unnamed male co-stars in a now-deleted Instagram post at the time. “There is no other franchise that makes my blood boil faster than this one.” My female co-stars are always fantastic, and I adore them. “My male coworkers, on the other hand, are a different story,” he wrote, adding, “Some conduct themselves as stand-up men and true professionals, while others don’t.”