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You're the only director who did two films of this franchise. How did that work for you?
Justin Lin: "It's good. Obviously, they were doing the third one and it was great because it was such a departure from the first two. The only link, aside from Vin [Diesel] in the last scene, was kind of just exploring similar themes. So it was exciting to get that call, for Vin to call and say, 'Okay, let's go do something.' What's exciting about this one is, or well, the third one I actually got the call and the exercise was almost like, 'Here's the script.

Do you want to do this?' I remember not wanting to do it at first, but it was kind of taking what was there and putting a new point of view on it."

Why didn't you want to do it at first?

Justin Lin: "Personally, I found it a little offensive. Just little things, for me personally and maybe not offensive to most people, but the car was drifting around Buddha statues and Geisha's and you're like, 'What the f--k?' I think it was a tonal thing. I think that once the studio got it, I had a great time. The great thing about this one was that I was able to kind of come in from the ground up and try to build it with everyone, and so it was a whole different kind of experience and journey. That was the reason."

So Vin was the driving force behind it?

Justin Lin: "Vin was definitely part of the force. I think that it was very organic in a way. I had finished the last one and I thought I was just going to go and do a no-budget movie and kind of try something different. To then get that call and hear, 'Okay, let's all try to do it,' and then really talk about why instead of just having this ticking time clock.

That was worth it, especially in doing a studio film and being able to get in there and talk things through, why we want to do it and why everyone is coming back. For me it was interesting. I remember I was in film school when the first one came out. I went to the AMC Santa Monica to see the first Fast & Furious and now to be getting into a room and really talk about the point of making a fourth one, that was a nice place to be."

How different can you make the action sequences involving the cars from the first three?

Justin Lin: "It's always been an interesting franchise. Stylistically it's gone all over the place. It's very post-modern in its own way. For me, it was really important, everything from the choice of cars and the colors and the design is to really support the character on this one. I was talking to Paul [Walker] who's a big car guy and picking the classic Skyline, those things were very important. We've had hours and hours and hours of conversations on why, why, why? For me, I think what's exciting about this one is that in a way it's a chance to go old school. I think, again, we're here to support the characters and the theme. So it's not about showing off and having cameras go somewhere that you know isn't realistically possible. I had fun doing the last one. One of the rules was to make sure that all the cars could do all the gags that we wanted, and it's great to apply that. But at the same time, at the end of the day it's really about serving the character and it's dramatic beats."

These films are known as car movies. How do you decide what cars to feature?

Justin Lin: "It's pretty simple. It's basically whatever I want. I know that sounds kind of…but I'm not a car guy at all. Honestly, they'll have these shows and they'll be hundreds of cars in the parking lots and I'll walk there and I know how passionate the people there are. I try to at least respect that. But I don't want to be swayed just because someone is friends with someone. I want to respect the people who love the cars, and so I also listen to Paul who loves cars. Personally, I'm a huge basketball fan and I just don't like watching films about basketball where you can tell they have no regard for people who love basketball. I try to at least be conscious of that. The example, whether it's this one or even the last film, where there were all these flashy cars, these beautiful and classic muscle cars, the imports, and I remember walking around the corner and there was this sad, little, beat up Monte Carlo sitting there. I was like, 'That has to be the car.' That ends up being the car in the first race in Tokyo Drift. It does come from character. I don't want to beat it to death, but as we develop it I try to see why a character would drive a certain car and then we go from there."

What's it like directing Vin and Paul, being someone who watched this film in college originally? What's the dynamic like between the three of you?

Justin Lin: "I really enjoy it. Vin and Paul are very different, but I think that they respect the process. The thing that I was worried the most about, and was assured very early on about, was that I don't want to be a part of something where people are just showing up and kind of walking through it. At the end of the day it's going to be year, a year and a half of my life and for whatever it's worth, I feel like we should just go all out. Whatever the end product is I think that while we're on this we should go and try our best. That worry was eased long ago."

Paul mentioned that Vin was talking about a fifth one, trying to drop things here and there in this film that could pay off in the next one. Is that possible?

Justin Lin: "It's possible, yeah. It's always part of the character. I think it's always good to talk about where they came from and where they're going to go. So it's always a part of the conversation, and that's fun. That's always the fun part of the dialogue."

Interview with Paul Walker - Interview with Laz Alonso