Vin Diesel on Diaper Patrol
March 4, 2005 — -- Vin Diesel punched his way to the top, and then critics pummeled him into a corner. Now, the tough guy is taking a swing at wrestling rugrats in a family comedy.
Every big action star reaches that point when it's time to think beyond gun-and-gut glory. Unfortunately, rippling biceps don't help much when you're throwing punch lines.
Arnold Schwarzenegger scored big as Danny DeVito's doppelganger in "Twins." But before he leaves office, the California governor may still yet issue himself a formal pardon for his turn as the world's first pregnant man in "Junior."
Then there are the out-and-out disasters. Remember Sylvester Stallone in "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot"?
Now Diesel braves the uncertain waters of lighthearted comedy. In "The Pacifier," opening today, the "xXx" beefcake plays a Navy SEAL who flubs a mission guarding a government scientist and tries to redeem himself by guarding the slain man's five cute-as-a-bug kids from evildoers.
"What was so cool about this picture is that it played off the perception of previous characters I've played," says Diesel. "That's what's so much fun for me."
At 37, Diesel has blazed a fast and furious path to a major turning point in his career. His last film, "The Chronicles of Riddick," a follow-up to "Pitch Black," was a major disappointment. At the same time, he passed up opportunities to appear in sequels to "The Fast and the Furious" and "xXx."
Suddenly, a red-hot action hero who quickly established three film franchises might not have any, unless someone pitches "The Eulogy of Riddick."
Still, it'd be wrong to call this foray into comedy career desperation. Diesel has serious ambitions to flex much more than his biceps. He's currently planning to direct, produce and star in "Hannibal," the story of the Carthaginian general who in 218 B.C. rode with an army of elephants across the Alps to attack Rome.
Paramount Pictures is planning to release the big-budget, sword-and-sandals epic in 2006 -- long enough, perhaps, for moviegoers to forget Colin Farrell in "Alexander" and still remember Russell Crowe in "Gladiator."
